“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

I would say that I “trust in the Lord”. That’s not the part of this verse that jumped out at me this morning. The part that grabbed my attention was “with all thine heart”. I asked myself if I could say that part is true. Sadly, I don’t think it is. I know that I hold parts back. One thing I often slip back into is trying to “fix myself by myself”. Looks so ridiculous when I type it there, but it’s true. Is it any wonder that my own understanding muddies up things?

Salvation clearly begins with trust. However, walking in paths directed by God requires deeper trust. Do I trust God with my eternity? Absolutely. Do I daily place my trust in Him for my “now”? Um, not really… or at least, not to the extent that I should. With a lack of trust, leaning on one’s own ability (understanding) becomes the only alternative. When I’m leaning on my own understanding, I’m certainly not acknowledging him in all my ways. So, then it stands to reason that I will no longer be under God’s direction but my own (or the enemy’s).

I become overwhelmed when reading that verse because I tend to think, “Gee, I need to do better at following God’s direction.” Then I feel a prompting from the Holy Spirit and must laugh at myself. I’m jumping right to the end of the verse, missing the whole point all over again. He whispers to my soul, “Trust in Me with all thine heart. Just begin there, Child.”

I began this post while sitting at a rink this morning. I had every intention of writing about the successes I’m seeing in my Time, Home, and Health, but after reading a quick devotional (because I had “extra” time this morning), I knew this was the message He wanted for me. Waking earlier, de-cluttering, and drinking water mean absolutely nothing if my heart is too devoted to those things rather than to the Lord. Eventually, their allure of peace and stability will fail me, but His love and faithfulness bring a peace that will rule in my heart… the very heart that He beckons me with which to trust Him.