Trust

Thought for the week from our Priest that I wanted to share with you guys:
What is the opposite of trust? Some may say it is suspicion. Others may reply that the opposite is manipulation while still others may believe that it is simply mistrust and the subsequent avoidance of those who are deemed to be untrustworthy.
Indeed they may seem to be some of the obvious choices. But perhaps there is a more comprehensive way of looking at the meaning of trust. Maybe we can understand that the complete opposite of trust is "security". If trust is the willingness to place at least a portion of my life in the hands of someone else, then its opposite must be the desire to take care of everything by myself or the unwillingness to place anythng of mine in the hands of someone else.
The opposite of trust would therefore be the desire for complete and utter self-sufficiency. It would be the desire to need non one. It would be the attitude that no matter what situation I may find myself in, I can take care of it all by myself.
Perhaps St. Paul had this definition of "security" in mind when he wrote the section of his letter to the Thessalonians that we hear today. St. Paul writes, "You yourselves know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people are saying peace and security, then sudden disaster comes upon them."
It is when we believe that we are in perfect control that we are closest to disaster. When we are telling ourselves that "I have it all under control" is also when we are most lkely feelng the least need for God. God gets reduced to a luxury that is definitely nice, but not all that necessary.
There is nothng wrong in having plans, making preparations, settng goals, or feeling a sense of accomplishment when we achieve a goal. But as people of faith we do need to exercise caution when we feel that the achievement of certain worldly goals, whether they are financal achievements, educational achievements, or anything else, will actually allow us to be "set for life". Goals are fantastic to make, they allow us to be motivated, to keep us on track and give us direction. But putting complete trust in those goals to bring us peace and security can lead to disaster.
As Paul teaches the Thessalonians, the only real and lasting security comes from trusting God.
Well, I can say learning about the A has brought me closer to my faith, what that exactly is I'm not sure but I know I would not be where I am today without it. I can't really decipher things from the Bible and put them into everyday life but I can do that when others whether it's a priest, pastor, religious leader, or even a friend tells me something. Our priest seems to hit upon things every week that applies to what my husband and I are going through. We think it's kind of freaky and I believe it's God working in my life. That is where my faith comes in. This weeks message about trust is something we discuss ALOT. I often worry and more so now that if I get to comfortable or trust too much that the rug will be pulled out from under me. I am so afraid of that happening that I can't enjoy living and that is a shame. One of my "sense of accomplishments" was that I had the perfect marriage. We were above it all -- nothing could touch us and as our Priest said putting trust in those goals ... can lead to disaster. I'd say it was a moment of disaster, a very loooooooooong moment. That moment is still there when I'm not in a good place.
So I'm not sure if this is what our Priest is saying but I think it's "Put your trust in God" and maybe that's what I need to do is surrender my doubts and go with it trusting in God's path for me. If that rug gets pulled out then maybe it's for a reason and the good will come through. God has shown me that in the A, aside from the heartache, insecurity, feeling like crap, anger, etc. (lol) there is good that came out of the A. I'm stronger than I ever thought possible, my marriage is better (not perfect), it's brought us closer to our family, and my husband is humble and more grounded and open to IC to help him with his issues, and I am getting the help I need to stay in that good place.
I hope this has given you some hope for the future. I'd love to hear any insight on the Priests message.