This year I have gone through a number of different transitions in my life. I quit my job, I became a student, I stepped into new areas of leadership, I started a new job at The Vineyard Church, and moved out of my parents’ house.

See, each of these transitions took me out of my comfort zone. I loved my job, I enjoyed not having to write an annotated bibliography every week, I was content being a follower, I never imagined working in a church before this year, and it was great not having to worry about paying rent every month on top of buying groceries, and guys... I love fresh vegetables. Those aren’t always cheap.

I full-heartedly believe that these transitory moments in our lives prepare us for all of the big, bad, and scary moments that happen in our lives. In each of these moments, I learned a new level of trust with God, but it wasn’t always easy.

I can’t say that I’m an expert at trusting God, but I can say that there are three ways of trusting God that have helped me to not only know but also believe that I serve a trustworthy God.

1. Childlike Trust

In Matthew 18:4, Jesus reminds his disciples that, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” We often use the first few verses of Matthew 18 to describe a childlike faith, but I want to talk about a childlike trust. Whether we call Him Papa, Abba, Father, or just Dad, many Christians know and understand that He is a nurturing and paternal God.

I believe that learning how to trust the Father in a childlike way is understanding our desperation for the Father, trusting Him without questions, and following Him because He knows how to do His job. I am helpless on my own but I am loved, led, and protected by my Father.

This is a very blind trust. From the world’s perspective, blindly trusting someone is scary and foolish. We need people to prove themselves trustworthy- sometimes over and over and over again- and even then, their actions may not be enough for them to earn our trust. This isn’t the way a child trusts their dad. As a child, I trust my Dad because I need to.

2. Grown Trust

I believe that a grown trust represents our understanding that we serve a good God and a sovereign God. This kind of trust takes a bit of maturity and depth to understand. Much like a childlike trust or a blind trust, I don’t always know what God is doing, but I can trust Him because he tells me that I can. Even when I don’t understand what is happening in my current circumstances, I can see the good in what God is doing in, around, and beyond those circumstances.

I know that I follow a God who is Lord of all things and works to make all things work together for my good. This helps me to have a grown trust that says, I know that God is good, I know that God is sovereign, and because of these two things, I believe that I can trust God.

3. Aged Trust

Philippians 4:17 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When I think about people who are much older and wiser than I am, I know that their number of life experiences far outweigh mine. I know that they have seen the ups and downs of life and that they probably understand that everything will work itself out eventually.

I think that part of having an aged trust is knowing that everything is going to be okay. Life isn’t perfect this side of Heaven, there are high seasons and low seasons, but understanding that one day the storm will pass makes it easier to get through those low seasons.This type of trust goes deeper than simply thinking everything is going to be okay, because honestly, there may be times where it isn’t okay or it won’t be okay.

In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus doesn’t say, “But take heart! Everything be okay!” He says, ”But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I know that I will have trouble in this world, but I know that Jesus is bigger than my trouble. I know that regardless of how messy this life gets, I can have a peace that surpasses all understanding because Jesus has overcome the world. This is a trust that says, “everything is going to be okay, even when it isn’t.”

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 Bailey is the communications intern here at The Vineyard! She assists the communications team with planning and implementing effective communications through our website, social media, print, and word of mouth.

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