I had a recent experience regarding trust that caused me to stop and consider the word and its deeper meaning. The veterinarian was to come and vaccinate our cat and horse early one morning. Usually, I must catch the cat and place him in the kitty box before the veterinarian comes to the house. Since we were also vaccinating the horse, I took the kitty box to the barn the night before. Prince, the cat, always, rain or shine, comes to the barn when I feed the horse just to get a few strokes of appreciation. So, I thought when he came to the barn, I would catch him and place him in the kitty box. Prince saw me take the box to the barn the night before, and probably due to some bad memory about the box, refused to come into the barn the next morning. A bit later, I did manage to catch him and put him in the box. Following the veterinarian’s visit, Prince would not come near the barn or me. I believe it was because he had lost his trust in me. It took about a week before he would allow me to touch him again.

It reminded me of how I trust others. I do know that once I lose trust in someone, it takes a lot of time and dedication for that trust to be regained or earned. I will usually trust anyone unless there is a reason not to trust them. Are there times when our trust might be based on the part of town we are in or the nationality of a person, or the color of their skin? Following 9-11, I may have had some tendency to be suspicious or perhaps not trust those who might appear they be from the Middle East.

The scripture says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

What does it mean to trust in the Lord?

I do not know how the Lord speaks to you, but for me, it is through my intuition, a nudge, or perhaps at times a dream. Do I always pay attention, or do I lean on my own understanding? Probably not always. I have had several experiences in which I felt I needed to do something, such as making a phone call or stopping to visit someone. In too many cases, I have not followed up but leaned on my own understanding. Then that person perhaps died or moved away, and I regretted not listening to that still small voice that was encouraging me to take some action.

When we pray and ask God for help or direction, we may not like to hear, see, or feel the answer. The answer always comes, though we may not recognize it or agree with it. In the long run, it usually turns out to be the best outcome.

Dear God, help us to be more trusting of others and to trust in you. Amen.

This podcast was written and recorded by Emmit Rawls.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.