Trusting God {From my Heart to Yours}

This is the first of, I hope, many letters I will write to you my precious daughters. They will be written straight from my heart to yours. This letter is all about the importance of trusting God.

To my gorgeous girls,

Nine short years ago I was asked by my cancer doctor why I wanted to have so many children when the world they had to grow up in was so evil. I replied that I hoped my children would love others, would accept others and would love some more, so much so that they would make a positive difference in a world that could sometimes be cold and unyielding.

There are nights I lie awake feeling sad at the world you must now inherit. It is not the same as it once was. Times have changed, and we must change with them, or be left behind. But some things remain, as they have before time even began. And I know I do not need to feel sad.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth

Acts 17:24

My Greatest Desire

My greatest desire for you is know God, and to trust God with all of your heart. Not just when things go well, but also when life seems dark and unhappy.

When things all around you are changing, cling to the One who doesn’t.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever

Hebrews 13:8

Trusting in God fully does not mean everything in your life will go as you had plotted and planned. What it does mean is that you can trust in God that He is able to turn even the worst of life into something beautiful and meaningful.

For God works all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose

Romans 8:28

The Beauty of Trusting in God

Trusting in God means understanding that you only have access to the human view of life’s tapestry – the view from below, looking up. It is the underside of the tapestry which looks raggedy, untidy and unfinished with lots of loose ends and questions of how any of this mess could be turned into something beautiful. God has a different view. He looks down on His work on your life’s tapestry, and He sees His beauty, His story telling and His power in your life. He looks at it all and He sees it is good.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good

Genesis 1:31

Trusting in God means that even when your heart is breaking and your life may feel as if it is slipping away, you understand that God has this, and has done right from the very beginning. It is understanding that a broken relationship, a failed opportunity or even the very hardest of things to deal with – the death of a loved one – is not the end of your story. Nothing happens that God is not able to turn around for your good.

When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them

Isaiah 22:22

The Power of Trusting in God

Trusting God means relinquishing your own control and choosing to honour God by giving that control to Him, and trusting Him to use that control for your good, fully believing that He is the one who shuts the door to certain opportunities and relationships and He is also the one who opens the door to other opportunities and relationships. Trust Him always.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  casting all your anxieties upon Him, for He cares for you

1 Peter 5:6

Trusting God means choosing to believe your glass is half full rather than half empty; it means choosing to see beauty when it is difficult to find any; it means making the absolute best of every situation and most of all it means being thankful for everything. Cultivating a thankful heart will reduce disappointment and help you appreciate all that God has given you rather than focusing on what you believe He hasn’t.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Thessalonians 5:8

And, trusting God is knowing who you are and who you belong to.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:1-5

You Are Loved

This is one of many love letters I will be writing to you, straight from my heart to yours. Most of it you know, it is what we have been teaching you since you were little babies. But my desire is that these letters become reminders of that which you know, but that which may feel overburdened by troubles, and thus be forgotten. I want you to read these letters in those quiet moments of adulthood when you are struggling with a heart which is anything but quiet. This is my heart pouring into your heart. Know you are loved, not solely by your Heavenly Father but also by your family, for always and forever.