What Is Trust?

Does today’s Gospel overwhelm you?

It has long intimidated me.

But today as Jesus addresses His questioning disciples, I imagine something new: a path lined with His children, faces upturned as He stops in front of each one, cradling a handful of seeds. “This one’s for you,” He whispers, tenderly planting the seed in the center of each heart. “It’s the Word of God . . . cultivate it well.”

The Word of God—Christ Himself! And yet, this seed is so fragile and small in the midst of a harsh and hazardous world.

How easy it is to be carried off on the wings of worldly intrigue, consumed by vapid imitations of truth and beauty and goodness.

How quickly we allow the searing rays of tribulation and suffering to scorch our once-joyful hearts, rendering them barren wastelands of derision and doubt.

How affably we’re lured away from eternal riches by the prospect of temporary riches and fleeting pleasure; how swiftly we let our confidence and trust in God’s Providence be choked by seductive lies of anxiety and fear.

Indeed, today’s parable boils down to one word: trust.

Sticking it out for the sake of the Kingdom, persevering in protecting our little potential-filled seeds when the going gets tough—these hinge directly on how trustworthy we think God’s promises are.

Trust, by definition, is a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” (source) Not ironically, these same characteristics describe our God.

Reliable. True. Able. Strong.

Do we trust that God wants to give us more than we want to give ourselves?

Do we trust that what God wants for us is better than what we want for ourselves?

Or have we judged it safer to rely on ourselves and the world’s “wisdom,” weakened as we are by its folly and desert of empty promises?

Sisters, He is indeed trustworthy.

And our every heroic act of trust tills fertile new ground. Every acknowledgement of temptation invites Him to draw alongside us with divine strength and assistance. And every effort to protect the seed of His truth cultivates the abundant harvest within—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

Every effort to protect the seed of His truth cultivates the abundant harvest within.Click to tweet

Have you heard of the Saint Bridget prayers? They honor Jesus' wounds and provide an opportunity to lean on Him in trust. Find out her unusual background here.

Megan Hjelmstad is a wife and mom 24/7 and an Army Reservist in her “spare” time. She is the Stories Manager for the Blessed is She Instagram account. She’s a bibliophile, tea drinker, sleep lover, and avid admirer of Colorado’s great outdoors. When the writing bug hits, you can find out more about her here.