Daily writing prompt

What gives you direction in life?

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I grew up outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, in a suburb called Kenner, where it was hot year round, and humid air made your clothes stick to your skin. Every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening you would find me sitting on a pew in church wondering if the air conditioning was going to work right that day. It was either too hot, forcing old ladies to whip out their paper fans and wave them vigorously to make the heat go away, or it was too cold, making me wish I’d listened to my Momma and put on my stockings even though it was blazing hot outside.

It was in this environment that I learned a scripture I’ve heard many times throughout my life that has given me direction. As a young girl the scripture was just words. Words memorized to win the Bible bowl competition but not words I considered the implication of. It wasn’t until I lived a little, experienced heartache, disappointment, and rejection that I began to realize how profound Proverbs 3:5-6 is. It says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

Defining Trust

Trust has several definitions. Two that resonate with me in the context of this verse are:

• (noun) reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing; confidence.
• (noun) confident expectation of something; hope

When I think about what trust means and I think about what the Lord expects of his children, it helps me understand some of the pitfalls I’ve faced in my past and how I could have avoided them if I had recalled this verse and applied it. I see now that the mistakes I made were because I did not rely on the Lord’s strength, the Lord’s ability, and the Lord’s integrity when making those mistakes. I did not have confident expectation in him. I relied on my own ability, my own strength, my own integrity. The more I live and the more I grow I see that moving through life this way leads to dead ends and disappointment. We weren’t designed to move this way. We were designed to rely upon our Creator, submit to him, and follow his direction for our lives. Moving this way leads to an abundant life. It leads to hope. It leads to purpose.

My Process Learning How to Trust

I am still a work in progress and I am still learning how to truly trust in the Lord with all my heart. In my last post, Navigating the Messy Middle of Personal Growth, I share my struggles with continuing to have faith that things will work out even when it feels like I am so far from reaching my goals, so far from “success.”

And while I am a work in progress I know that things will work out if I turn back to the foundation given to me when I was a little girl sitting on that church pew in that scorching hot Louisiana heat. I will trust the Lord even when I don’t see how it will work out. I will acknowledge him even when I’m scared to move in the direction he wants me to go. In doing this I know he will show up ready and willing to give me the desires of my heart. He already has. He’s done it in small ways like offering me an opportunity to write a friend’s newsletter for her website. He did it by inspiring someone to offer me an internship. This will allow me to get better at a skill set I need to pivot into a different industry in my career.

I’ll be honest when these opportunities initially came my way they scared me. I didn’t feel prepared. I felt I needed more time to prepare so I wouldn’t disappoint the people who offered me the opportunities. I see now as I review this verse that these opportunities were never about me. They were never about my ability or my strength. They are a chance to show what the Lord can do if only I trust him.

Have you struggled with trusting the Lord? Is it your first impulse to rely on your own understanding? Where do you think this impulse comes from? I’d love to hear your story! Please share your experiences in the comments!