Go to Hell – but Only If You Choose to Go
Confidence and trust are almost synonymous, but not quite. Confidence usually bears the connotation of self-reliance or self-confidence, while trust as a supernatural virtue entails primarily a warm personal reliance on the Lord. It can be said that confidence is trust in self, while trust is confidence in God.
Faith assures us that a true love like God’s is totally trustworthy, that his love is true and totally reliable. He will never forsake us, though we may forsake him. If we really trust God, we’re willing to have our confidence in God put to the test to prove its genuineness and maturity. This type of trust features a quality of readiness for the trials of conflict, frustration, loss, or failure--all under God’s guiding hand.
Yet, when fear of failure is the issue because of lack of confidence, experience shows that the soul who trusts the Lord will fail far less frequently than one who distrusts him. In the words of the saintly preacher Macduff, “Trust God where you cannot trace him. Do not try to penetrate the cloud that he brings over you; rather, look to the rainbow that is over it. The mystery is God’s; the promise is yours.” The New Dictionary of Thoughts, Standard book Co. Hanover House, Garden City, New York, N.Y., 1960—p. 685.
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.