Trying vs. Trusting
Photo by Delmaine Donson from Getty Images
“If they said, “I’m trying!” he knew they didn’t really understand. Because being a Christian isn’t about trying. It’s about trusting.”
Who knew a children’s book could cut straight to my heart like this? I was reading the devotion “Trying and Trusting” from Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing to my daughter, Savannah, one morning and when I landed on the quote above, I let out a deep sigh.
I rehearsed it over and over in my head. This is by far one of my greatest struggles as a Christian. As a doer, it doesn’t make sense to simply trust. But I learned that trying to fix my mental health struggles on my own only further exposed my insufficiencies. That’s when I was reminded to shift my focus.
Am I saying that practical means aren’t effective in fighting mental health issues? What about the people who don’t follow Jesus, yet are successfully overcoming their struggles?
Practicality is important. Medication, diet, exercise, new rhythms and routines, therapy, and good supportive friends are all very helpful in the healing process. Some of these I am currently implementing in my life. I have read content created by people who aren’t Christians and have found some of their advice and scientific research on the topic to be insightful and thought provoking. Here’s the problem. Relying on ourselves and practicality alone is not enough. Every remedy mentioned above can change or fail. Medication dosages may have to be adjusted depending on how the individual is coping or how the side effects are impacting them. We all know that there is no solid hope found in diets, workouts, and routines because what happens if we become inconsistent? Hello guilt and shame. And the cycle repeats. Therapy and friendships are great, but people aren’t omnipresent. They can’t always be available for every dark moment. Is it truly successful if we only put our hope in things that can fail us?
Here is the good news. There is One we can trust to always be there. He is not limited by natural forces such as time and space. He loves unconditionally. In Him, we don’t have to exhaust ourselves trying to rush the struggle away. He gives a hope beyond this world and our circumstances. He doesn’t just want to fix our personal problems though he cares deeply about them. He offers something more, something better. Himself. For eternity. And He is Jesus.
How is Jesus better?
Jesus is our sinless savior (2 Corinthians 5:21). He existed with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2), yet humbled Himself to be born and take on human form in order to carry out God’s great rescue plan to redeem us back to Himself (Matthew 1:18-21). Jesus is not oblivious to our humanity (Hebrews 4:15). He cares a lot about our struggles. Even Jesus felt distressed when the time came for Him to die. But He trusted God’s plan. He knew that the suffering would be temporary in light of the eternal victory. Because He walked this Earth and faced what we faced (without sinning), we can follow His Earthly example. He not only died sacrificially bearing the weight of our sin and death on the cross, but rose to life defeating their power over us (Romans 6:6-9). This means in Jesus we already have the victory. This is how I am able to have hope, joy, and peace right now in the thick of the valley. Even on the days when I feel the most overwhelmed, I am reminded that the best is yet to come.
How do I trust Jesus?
There are a lot of things we trust on a daily basis without analyzing how trustworthy they are and we’re willing to take the risks with their consequences. Why not trust in Jesus who demonstrated such a boundless love for us and promised that He will never leave or fail us? We don’t have to earn our way to Him. He only wants us to believe and confess that He is who He says He is and surrender our will to His (Romans 10:9). He then gives us His spirit to comfort and guide us and to remind us of what He promised in His word.
Stay in the Fight
So no there is no quick fix to life’s problems. But if you think about everything you have been through and what you may be going through today, would you be the wise resilient person you are without the hardships? Remember the last “worst thing that ever happened to you?” Guess what? You’re still here which means God brought you through. If He did it before, can do it again.
Trust Him, delight in Him. One day at a time. We’re in this together.
