Christians need to trust God if they’re going to experience spiritual growth. After being emotionally or physically hurt by another person, trusting again can become extremely difficult in some circumstances as trust requires a level of vulnerability that requires courage. Dr Tim Clinton explains that it is possible to learn to trust despite our past hurts.
Learning To Trust by Dr. Tim Clinton
“Even those with very painful pasts can learn to trust again. This is done by learning perceptive trust. Those who have insight and wisdom know that not everybody is trustworthy, and that trust must be earned by consistent, honourable, ethical behaviour. To have perceptive trust is to live in the reality—often the harsh reality—that people we love will let us down. To have perceptive trust is to know, however, that God will never let us down.
Following are some suggestions for learning to trust perceptively:
1. Identify Patterns of Distrust
People must be honest about the pain of the past and the damage it has caused. The patterns of hiding from people, dominating them, or pleasing them at all costs exist because people are desperate to find some meaning and safety in their lives. Ultimately, such behaviour only hurts them more. Repentance is a vital part of the Christian experience and involves being honest about wrong perceptions and destructive behaviours. Repentance enables them to choose what is good and right.
2. Gain a New Perception of God
People’s most intimate human relationships will colour their perception of God. But these perceptions can be changed as God shows His true character and great love. Finding a fellowship of believers who are experiencing the goodness and grace of God can help people shape a healthy view of God.
3. Take Steps to Trust Perceptively
Blind trust people need to be more cautious in relationships and not trust so quickly and completely. Aggressive distrust people need to be quiet and calm, encouraging rather than intimidating. Passive distrust people need to take steps to be more open and vulnerable with those they trust. These are all healthy steps of growth and change.
4. Find People Who Understand
Changes of the heart do not occur in a vacuum. People must find others who can understand, encourage, and speak the truth to them about God and about themselves. One trustworthy, honest, perceptive person can make all the difference. In cases of severe abuse or abandonment, a pastor or a professional counsellor may better provide the insight and nurture necessary for change to occur.
5. Absorb the Truth About God
To learn to trust, people must absorb the Scriptures with an attitude of commitment and with prayer. They can search passages that are particularly meaningful and memorize them. God is, and always will be, true to His Word. They can count on Him to lead them and give wisdom, peace, and strength.
No matter how much their trust has been destroyed in the past, people can still discover that God is supremely trustworthy. In Him, they can find peace and wisdom.
The Bible promises, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5, 6).
Other passages to study about the issue of trust include:
– Psalms 4:5; 5:11; 9:10; 27:10; 31:1
Sources:
Permission – Learning To Trust by Dr. Tim Clinton
Bible Gateway
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