A Crash Course in Trusting God

I hate driving on snowy and icy roads. That’s the popular opinion, I know, but I think I hate it more than the average Minnesotan.

Last week, I was confronted head on by this fear.

 
The snowstorm

A giant snowstorm was predicted to hit the Midwest in the days after Christmas. Estimates of snowfall ranged between 12 and 17 inches, and, as you may know, the foreboding rumors only build on each other. The storm was expected to start on Wednesday and go through Friday morning. The kicker is, my boyfriend Brian was planning to take a rental car on an eleven-hour drive to my college town on Friday. I would then drive there, pick him up, and bring him to my house.

When I first heard about the storm, I knew I had to pray and try not to worry. I knew God was giving me a lesson in trust, no matter how much I didn’t want it. So I prayed, a lot. But I was still anxious: even in the days before the storm hit. While I usually would have loved to curl up with a book while it snowed, the fear of all this dangerous driving was driving me mad!

When the storm came on Wednesday, I realized the predictions were spot-on. All I could see out the window was whirling, blowing, falling snow, and the trees closest to the house. It felt like my house was trapped in a snow globe. . .It was actually really pretty. I tried not to worry.

 
The drive

Early on Friday morning, Brian started his drive. He had shared his location with me on Google maps, so I checked it many times throughout the day, along with the weather and road conditions. I was not having much fun waiting. I dreaded my little hour-long drive, too. I literally worried myself sick.

In the end, Brian claims there was only a short stretch of icy road on his drive, and my drive to pick him up was safe as well. I fell asleep at home that night exhausted and incredibly thankful. God was so gracious to keep us both safe. The whole thing got me thinking, though.

 
Why it all matters

The day before I found out about the snowstorm, I had journaled about how I wanted to trust God in 2019. This new year holds a lot of exciting changes: things like Brian moving cross-country to live in the same city as me for the first time ever, getting engaged, finding a summer job, and applying to a tough graduate school program.

These changes are all giant blessings that I’m thankful for, but they also require a lot of trust. My attitude towards life too often resembles white-knuckled driving in the snow, and I want that to change. In writing that journal entry, I tried to prepare to trust God in finances, relationships, my future schooling, friendships, and my career.

And the very next day, this storm gave me the perfect practice opportunity. It’s like God was saying, “you’re not going to wait until 2019 to put this into action.” Isn’t he great?!
 

Helping each other

Something I really love about Brian is that he’s awesome at trusting God and refusing worry. He simply looks at the facts, prays, and makes decisions. While I was brooding about the snow, he was carefully driving through it, actively depending on God. I’m not demeaning myself or saying that I don’t trust God at all, but Brian is a strong example in my life of how to do it better every day.

It’s great to have people in our lives who can encourage us and build us up! This is a huge part of God’s purpose in believers growing close (1 Thess. 5:11). I’d encourage you to look for inspiring qualities in your friends, and look for ways you can spur them on, too!
 

Trust: a recurring topic

So, this post is really just a reminder to trust God, from a girl who has a lot of trouble doing it. I was recently skimming through all my old posts and realized that I’ve written quite a few with the theme of trust. I guess it’s something God is constantly trying to teach me, and I hope it’s nudging you to the same end as well!

This year I’m planning to simply write about whatever he is teaching me through my life. Our God is bigger than any situation, worry, or plan, and he is always faithful. I’m going to try and trust him with it all.