Cultivating Trust

I’ve noticed that this generation speaks much more of trust than we did as young professionals in the 1970’s. I remember we joked that in God we trust and all others pay cash. I tell people all of the time that I trust myself and that is enough to begin a relationship. I’ve done a lot of work to ensure that my self assessment is accurate and that my actions truly match my words. When my personal integrity is strong I find I communicate my needs more effectively and trust what I will and won’t do.

I trust my access to wisdom, so that even when someone behaves differently than I would, I can craft a response that is kind, appropriate and effective for the engagement that God wants for us. While my prophetic gift keeps me engaged in specific sorts of ways, I expect that those with gifts of healing, teaching, preaching etc. will engage in ways that protect their highest good as well. When I observe that people are wounded, I prioritize healing. When people are not strong enough to hear Truth, I encourage the repair of personal integrity so we become trustworthy ourselves.

The most important tool we have in cultivating trust is the natural world. Humans are naturally hardwired to be in awe, at ease, calm and acutely aware in Nature. When we can hold those states of being, the Holy Spirit installs the software of Trust in our souls. I have found that working in Nature speeds up the experience of Trust. There is a reason that even corporate team building often occurs at nature retreat centers.

I will never forget an environmental arts camp I produced for middle school aged boys from Washington D.C. They were joined by rural boys and arrived at the 7 day residential experience full of anxieties. It was their first time away from home, they were all strangers from very different backgrounds and some moved through dangerous neighborhoods on a daily basis. But guess what? After 3 days on 80 acres of forest, meadows and ponds, they loosened up. The male staff who supervised them pulled me aside and asked me to quietly follow him after lunch and stop at the tree line of thick cedars. He gently pulled branches aside and showed me where the boys had begun to secretly gather to pray-- away from staff. These boys were not from the same religions--if any at all and this was not promoted as a spiritual camp. There was something about immersing themselves in Nature that allowed their hearts to naturally heal and open as designed.

I’ve experienced trusting myself more after learning to navigate the woods at night. Mother Nature is an effective teacher and healer for all that ails the human condition because we are the mirror image of Nature. It is easier to explore a lesson outside of ourselves with the impartial presence of flora and fauna before applying it to our fragile egos. Earth Sanctuary’s spiritual community will begin sharing these lessons during the coming spring equinox and we hope you can join us. Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime take a barefoot mindful walk and see what insights present themselves...