Trust/Friendship/God/one large circle

March 9—Le Fresne church. “Don’t have a care in the world unless it be the fear of offending Me. Everything is in My hand and I am all-Power. Don’t be afraid of focusing all your attention on Me and what concerns Me. Call back your wandering thoughts so that they follow My way only. Learn to control your mind, and center everything in Me. Take My strength for this, the strength I had in the wilderness to ward off hunger. . . . “Oh, My dear little girl, you can do so much for God’s glory

Bossis, Gabrielle. He and I (Kindle Locations 1956-1960).
Pauline Books and Media. Kindle Edition.

The more deeply we love, the more we feel sorrow and deep pain when we do something that offends the loved one.  Once we decide to open ourselves up to another, we become vulnerable, there is no way around this reality.  If our love or our friendship is true, mature, and not manipulative, we cannot reduce them to objects to be used, they become ‘real’ to us.

Relationships also bring to the surface aspects of ourselves that fight against any kind of deep relationship with another.  To enter into a deep friendship of any kind, be it in marriage, or in simple deep trust of another human being, we have to allow aspects of ourselves to die.  Aspects that are often fearful, or angry, or yes, lustful.  We have to let go of control if we wish the relationship to grow into something beautiful and life-giving. 

Our past fears will bring up reasons not to trust others….wounds go deep.  They will often be irrational, since each person, and relationship is unique, and need to be weighed and judged on their own merits.  None-the-less these fears can have great power over our choices.   Many people will not open up to anyone for the fear of the pain that comes from having trust betrayed.   Yet the pain that flows from this fear is worse, for we are not made to be alone, but to journey and yes trust others.  

These fears can also be projected onto God.  Since we are made in God’s image and likeness, we are called, for our good, healing, and ultimate happiness, to give ourselves to the One who created us out of love.  Any other competing loves will only disappoint since it is finite and cannot fill our infinite desire for love.  The love of God, when based on trust, leads to deep healing, and in that, we learn to love others, and to grow in the ability to trust others as well.  We also learn from our experience of the mercy of God, to heal when trust is betrayed, because we seek to forgive, to remain free.

Trust is a choice.  We do not fall into it.  We can fall into fear since it is more or less an instinctive response to pain. 

The road to a larger life can only be entered through the gate of ‘trust’.

Where do we focus on attention?  Does it lead to peace, joy, inner strength?  Or does it lead to worry, anxiety, compulsive thoughts, etc?—Br.MD