7 Marks of a Trust-Filled Heart
Approaching Valentine’s Day, much attention focuses on affections of the heart. Considering the fickle nature of often mis-placed affections, I wonder if a better endeavor might entail a survey of the things and people our heart trusts in the most. This Valentine’s Day give yourself the gift of 7 Marks of a trust-filled heart.
Every day we decide where to place our trust as we encounter trials, relationships, or uncertain times.
At times my trust attaches to people, things, or circumstances, while other times it rests staunchly in Lord. Still other times find me trusting in a little of both. Life continues to present the need for making the decision of where I will place my trust.
As my memory keenly reminds me of poorly placed trust in the past, the impact of where I place my trust moves me to consider how to nurture a trust-filled heart focused on God.
the nature of a trust-filled heart
While encountering people often who claim to have “trust issues” based in previous betrayals, truthfully, we all have trust issues. A poor understanding of and misplacement of trust is the driving force behind anxiety in many cases.
Trusting in our own wisdom only to end up failing, trusting the medical community, resulting in a poor outcome, or trusting someone in a relationship which deteriorates, are common to everyone.
Though these experiences may bring hesitancy to the heart’s ability to trust, we still place our trust in something every single day.
Even if you say you trust no one, you are still trusting yourself. The nature of a trust-filled heart is its intrinsic need to rely on something or someone.
A God Focused Trust
Instead of feeding mistrust by continuing to place my trust in the wrong places, the Holy Spirit invites me into a God focused trust.
People make mistakes. Which fuels misguided or broken trust.
But God never makes a mistake.
Which makes Proverbs 3:5-6 so powerful:
“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 thy paths.”
Shifting to a God focused trust opens your eyes to God’s goodness in trial, and fuels Hope for the darkest times. Trusting the Lord with all your heart means you acknowledge His good plans for you, knowing He never wavers in His unfailing love for you.
7 marks of a trust-filled heart
Placing my full trust in God, trusting Him with all my heart, reveals my deep need for Him, and the faulty foundation of my own weaknesses.
Nurturing a God focused, trust-filled heart yields the following rich blessings:
- Deeper intimacy with God. Each time you choose trusting God over your own wisdom, you learn more about God’s good ways. As trust deepens, intimacy with Him deepens too.
- Peace and comfort in trial. Trust yields Hope. The Hope which never causes the shame of betrayal or rejection. Resulting in complete peace for the future and comfort along the hardest paths.
- Rest and renewal of body, mind, and spirit. Trusting completely in God moves you to a place of rest, renewing you completely from the stress of life’s hardships and decisions.
- Stronger dependency on God. Each step into deeper trust in God, also frees you from the bondage of self-reliance.
- Experience of God’s unfailing love. From a place of full trust, we experience God’s unfailing love, through His constant Presence, Provision, and Protection.
- Demonstration of your love for God. Choosing to trust God with your whole heart, demonstrates your love for Him as you in essence, entrust Him with the fragility of your heart.
trusting God with your heart
Exploring my own “trust issues” revealed not only my need to trust in the Lord with all my heart, (Proverbs 3:5-6) but to trust Him with my heart.
The choice to trust in the Lord especially in uncertain or hard times, means I trust Him with the outcome. But trusting Him with my heart means I also trust Him with my love and emotional well-being.
This Valentine’s Day, as you ponder the directive of Proverbs 3:5-6, why not gift the Lord not only your trust, but your heart?
tell his story link up
I am thrilled to be the new host of Tuesday’s Tell His Story Link up! Jeanne Takenaka and I share the link up on alternate weeks, with Jeanne hosting the first and third Tuesdays, as well as the occasional fifth Tuesday, and my hosting the second and fourth Tuesdays!
Each week we gather here as storytellers, word weavers, and encouragers to make His name known. Our story is God’s story and this small corner of the blogging world, where we come together each Tuesday, needs you.
This is a place where poetry, snapshots, prayers, and stories find a safe spot to nod in agreement that what we have to say matters. I am glad you are here and would love to have you join the #TellHisStory community!
Click over here to read more about the #TellHisStory community and find a button to add to your site.
