Trials and Trust

The word “trial” can mean “ordeal,” or it can mean something quite different, namely, “test.” Our hardships can be approached from either point of view, but we tend to emphasize the “ordeal” rather than the more positive “test.” Yet, in the divine plan, every trial in our lives is a critical test of our trust in the providence that allows or causes it for our good.

Full-blown trust is so reliant on God’s faithfulness that those who experience it regard it as almost insulting to ask God “why?” when faced with hard-to-understand situations. Because they are convinced that “the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials” (2 Pt 2:9), those who completely trust in the Lord are like airplane passengers calmly riding out the momentary turbulence because they are sure that the pilot knows how to handle the situation.

After landing, our experience of a turbulent flight dissolves into the heap of vague memories of past disturbances. In retrospect, our trials don’t appear to have been all that that disturbing. Interestingly, we seem to have more trust in the pilot after the flight than we did during the trip. Viewed from eternity, our present trials will all look like false alarms. Just realizing that truth, and recalling it often, can make our trust in the Lord considerably easier to develop.

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and tapes can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.