A Reminder to Always Trust God
Does your body sink when you try to get up, and even the sunlight from your window looks dim? Did academic challenges or a failed romantic relationship cause that heavy clouds to lock you in sleep all day?
Friend, get up. It’s okay to feel that way. I’m sure something better is ahead of you. God promised. And He will never lie about it. Let me share my experiences as a child from a rural village in a developing country.
That night when fire destroyed our neighbor’s house was notable. After putting off that raging heat, a falling star shone. My cousins were with me, and one of them shouted, “make a wish!” Initially, I prayed for the family to get on their feet again, and they did. But when I saw the meteoroid’s tail (or specs of rocks left in space), I added another wish: “God, please send me to the best school.” Years later, I wrote a poem about it entitled “Vestiges of an Enigma” in my notebook. True enough, that event was symbolic. And I have uncovered all the mysteries that came with it.
My university’s logo in college was a star. My high school’s logo was a torch of fire with mountains in the foreground. I studied in a mountainous province. And my kindergarten and grade school’s logo was the crucifix with a dove on top biting a red ribbon that resembled a pathway. Now, my university’s logo in postgraduate is an open book with stars. The prestige of the schools where I move keeps on getting better. I’m grateful because I only looked at these and wondered how I could get in there. But I prayed earnestly for them and cried for God’s assistance.
For a child from a far-flung area, going to bigger cities to study seems complicated. But God traveled with me. And I enjoyed everything that the new places have to offer — from the vibrant lights, twinkling on streets, noisy trucks, and bus horns reverberating at night to the towering buildings that look like crayons of different sizes. Have you observed? The crayon colors that children use less likely are the wall paint of the highest metro buildings. I’m not an architect, but the owners of those buildings inspire me. God’s capability manifested in their success and the people they employ.
I don’t believe in coincidence; I search for patterns. Everything connects. God plots events like a painting: The creator of the masterpiece won’t put something on the canvass if it doesn’t symbolize anything. For some, this sequence may not make sense. However, I find joy in fathoming unrelated events because I know that God moves heaven and earth to unravel His plans for me. I’m also happy that making that wish was an act of submission to God’s will. To understand how He granted it, I have to collect pieces of puzzles and put them together.
The red ribbon in the school that I started was winding. Getting into these schools was an arduous journey, often accompanied by financial limitations. But God never failed to provide. There are times when I cry in sleep, thinking about how unimaginable it is for me to study in these schools. In the morning, I get up from hearing the loud chirps of birds. The sound they create pushes me to get up even when the sunlight is no longer enough to keep me going. Sometimes, seeing doesn’t matter. No one on earth can see what’s ahead. But God knows our future. God plans the best for us. We only have to listen and follow instructions.
Trusting God is relinquishing human calculations and predictions and allowing Him to work for us. Do you know the story of the man walking with God in the sand? The person’s footsteps were no longer visible after God carried him. God shows his power when human effort is not enough. And remember, God is bigger than your problems.
Ancora Imparo. It took more than a decade until I realized that God allows something to happen and assures that He’s working with me along the way. Of course, I made mistakes. Something that I accomplished could have been better if I listened, waited, and trusted God. It’s best to let down all your plans for the sake of what God wants. Like in a relationship.
Maybe you’ve been in puppy love. And you waited for that person to take the relationship seriously. One year, four years, even almost a decade. But he never did. Do you know why God allowed that? Because He has been preparing someone better. And the more you hold unto the person, the more painful it gets. Maybe you’re prolonging the hurt, and you’re already neglecting that one created for you. Yes, God made someone for us. And it’s up to us to wait for that person. Or perhaps, you’re destined to be single. That’s fine because you can exhaust all your efforts to help others, just as God wants. He is also saving you from more problems because, in marriage, you’re no longer obliged to solve only your problems. The resolution should work for the other as well. And it’s more complicated to make a choice suitable for everyone than deciding for yourself. Then there’s a love story that restarted in the late ages. Those couples broke apart to marry someone else. Their spouses died and found each other again. How beautiful is that? A literal narrative of happily ever after.
Ultimately, we should not look at our circumstances through our eyes. Let’s focus our sight on God and let His peace remove our worries and doubts.
