Guidance and Trust

A farmer watched a bird building its nest in a heap of branches pruned from an apple tree. Having planned to clear away that pile of branches, he destroyed the unfinished nest to discourage the bird from building it there. Undaunted, the bird started building her nest again in the same spot, and again the farmer destroyed the nest. A third time the bird tried to build its nest, but this time in a rose bush near the farmhouse, where she later hatched her eggs and raised a brood of chicks--to the farmer’s great delight and protective care.

While the bird had acted under blind instinct, the farmer had a long-range view of the situation and disrupted the bird’s plans in order to entice it to a better plan. Like that concerned farmer, the Lord often seems to frustrate our plans as he sees the events of our lives from a much better perspective than we do. His overarching plan for us, his creatures, is called providence, which means the act of providing, and is etymologically derived from the Latin “providere,” meaning “to see before.” This is reminiscent of Jesus’ words to Peter, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (Jn 13:7).

The Catholic Catechism (#302) reminds us that creation did not spring forth complete from the hand of the Creator, but was created in statu viae--“in a state of journeying” toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. Divine providence entails all the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward this perfection, with which we humans are called to cooperate, even when we can’t see its meaning as he does. Seeing reality from God’s perspective is a gift of the Holy Spirit called wisdom (see Col 1:9). Reliance on God’s wisdom is the quintessential act in the art of trusting Him. In the preceding story, it was the farmer’s wisdom that led the bird to accept a better outcome. That’s analogous to God’s trustworthyguidance of our human affairs.

A little reflection will make us aware that we spend much of our lives somewhat in the dark. We don’t always know where we’re going in the vicissitudes of life as we stumble down the dark alleys of the unknown. A child walking down a dark road may be terrified, wishing he had a flashlight. Yet if that child’s hand is in the hand of his father as he walks along, he is even more secure than if he had a flashlight and walked alone. Isaiah 50:10 says it poignantly: “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the Lord and rely on his God.” He goes on to say that those who in their attempt at self-sufficiency attempt to provide their own light “will lie down in torment” (v. 11). Jesus, our paragon, showed us how to trust our heavenly Father. In Calvary’s darkness his abandonment was inspirational: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Mt 8:19).

We are forced to make hundreds of decisions every day--some of them with serious consequences, such as choosing a marriage partner for life, or even a profession or job. Other decisions make for convenience with less meaningful aftereffects, such as planning a menu for dinner, or choosing which clothing to wear. A habit of having a background trust in God on all occasions is desirable, but foreground trust is critical in making major decisions. Samuel gave his people a negative norm for choosing the right options: “Do not turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or save, for they are useless” (1 Sm 12: 21). Many a life is shattered because of too much self-trust and not enough prayerful God-trust in making decisions.

In those frequent moments when you’re in the dark and need guidance and feel insecure because you don’t know the best way, “commit your way to the Lord,” advises David; “trust him and he will do this” (Ps 37:5). Previously, in Psalm 4:4-5, he had urged the blending of common sense with trust in God: “Search your hearts and be silent . . . and trust in the Lord.” This insightful advice culminates in a prayer: “Let the light of your face shine upon us, Lord. . . . You alone will make me dwell in safety” (vv. 6, 8).

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 audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.