Development of Trust

The idea of trust involves uncertainty; someone wholly certain does not need trust, because there can be no question about what he wants, and nothing posing any threat to what he wants to accomplish. Such certainty is not part of our human experience. On the contrary, we are threatened everywhere, and we don't even know what we really want.

Let's say, we are driving in a car. A truck is coming toward us, we on the right side, the truck on the left side.

Trust -- dependence on something future or contingent: confident anticipation : HOPE
(Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary)

Of course we want to reach our destination. But can we be sure? The truck driver could be drunk and lose control of his truck. We are not concerned, because we believe the truck driver will act according to our expectation. We trust in the situation implicitly. In other words, we depend on something uncertain. And here is our dilemma; there is nothing certain in this world. Uncertainty and continuous change is the only truth here, and yet we are in denial of it. As long as this dilemma persists, we will be tempted to believe in the reality of loss and accordingly experience fear in its various forms.

All things of this world will end. We will lose everything. No matter how much we defend ourselves against change and perceived threats, we will lose. We trust all will be o.k.; we depend on all sorts of things, but to no avail. Our sense of security is illusory deception. We will be devastated. That is the nature of this place. That is why it is a place of death.

"It is obvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy, for otherwise you would believe that you could deal with the situation successfully."
(Lesson 47, A Course In Miracles)

What, if we are wrong? What if our perception does not show us reality? Could this be truth or reality, if there is a perfect, loving, whole God, eternally creating us like Himself?

Here we ask, where can we turn to for protection? Without an answer to this question and subsequent decision about what we want, our trust must be futile and meaningless. To believe that God created this world and wants us to go through all this chaos, hopefully evolving, does not solve the dilemma. And here you maybe will switch me off. Yet freedom from fear, peace of mind, love and real freedom are possible only if we are wrong about everything. God cannot know of this place and be Himself. Now we can trust in something trustworthy, and be healed and relieved from our fears.

Now let's take a closer look at our trust option in the light of reason.

We are still looking at the implications of a worthy foundation for our trust. What have we got so far? God does not know of this world of death. If God does not know of this world, he did not create it. Therefore, it cannot be real.

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
(Edgar Allen Poe)

And here is our hope for forgiveness, salvation and freedom finally justified. What is not real can be forgiven and undone. What is not real cannot make guilty and sinful whom God created perfect and sinless.

Though we inevitably have to take full responsibility for this world of death, we did not change or effect reality by what we thought we did, for we cannot change what God created for eternity.

"Every man's world picture is and always remains a construct of his mind, and cannot be proved to have any other existence."
(Erwin Schrödinger)

We are merely dreaming a dream of separation from God. We are hallucinating. There is no world.

Now, trusting in the truth and love of God, or Universal Mind, Reality, we can change our minds about ourselves to be restored to sanity and peace of mind. We decide there must be more to life than this, and become teachers of God, teaching ourselves out of this dilemma, applying a mind training discipline to let go of our fears and undergo a metamorphosis of all we think we are. This then is our return home. The Son that was lost returns to his Father's home. This is our awakening of which all the sages talked about.

There Must Be Another Way:
Reflections of a Mind Illuminated Through a Course in Miracles

"Except for God's teachers there would be little hope of salvation, for the world of sin would seem forever real. The self-deceiving must deceive, for they must teach deception. And what else is hell? This is a manual for the teachers of God. They are not perfect, or they would not be here. Yet it is their mission to become perfect here, and so they teach perfection over and over, in many, many ways, until they have learned it. And then they are seen no more, although their thoughts remain a source of strength and truth forever."
(Manual for Teachers, Introduction, ACIM)

"Are you invulnerable? Then the world is harmless in your sight. Do you forgive? Then is the world forgiving, for you have forgiven it its trespasses, and so it looks on you with eyes that see as yours. Are you a body? So is all the world perceived as treacherous, and out to kill. Are you a spirit, deathless, and without the promise of corruption and the stain of sin upon you? So the world is seen as stable, fully worthy of your trust; a happy place to rest in for a while, where nothing need be feared, but only loved. Who is unwelcome to the kind in heart? And what could hurt the truly innocent?"
(Chapter 31.VI, ACIM)

.

"Perception is the result of learning. In fact, perception is learning, because cause and effect are never separated. The teachers of God have trust in the world, because they have learned it is not governed by the laws the world made up. It is governed by a Power That is in them but not of them. It is this Power That keeps all things safe. It is through this Power that the teachers of God look on a forgiven world.

When this Power has once been experienced, it is impossible to trust one's own petty strength again. Who would attempt to fly with the tiny wings of a sparrow when the mighty power of an eagle has been given him? And who would place his faith in the shabby offerings of the ego when the gifts of God are laid before him? What is it that induces them to make the shift?"

(Manual for Teachers, 4.I, ACIM)

"First, they must go through what might be called 'a period of undoing'. This need not be painful, but it usually is so experienced. It seems as if things are being taken away, and it is rarely understood initially that their lack of value is merely being recognized. How can lack of value be perceived unless the perceiver is in a position where he must see things in a different light? He is not yet at a point at which he can make the shift entirely internally. And so the plan will sometimes call for changes in what seem to be external circumstances. These changes are always helpful. When the teacher of God has learned that much, he goes on to the second stage."

(Manual for Teachers, 4.I, ACIM)

"Next, the teacher of God must go through 'a period of sorting out'. This is always somewhat difficult because, having learned that the changes in his life are always helpful, he must now decide all things on the basis of whether they increase the helpfulness or hamper it. He will find that many, if not most of the things he valued before will merely hinder his ability to transfer what he has learned to new situations as they arise. Because he has valued what is really valueless, he will not generalize the lesson for fear of loss and sacrifice. It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful. It is only to the extent to which they are helpful that any degree of reality should be accorded them in this world of illusion. The word 'value' can apply to nothing else."

(Manual for Teachers, 4.I, ACIM)

"The third stage through which the teacher of God must go can be called 'a period of relinquishment'. If this is interpreted as giving up the desirable, it will engender enormous conflict. Few teachers of God escape this distress entirely. There is, however, no point in sorting out the valuable from the valueless unless the next obvious step is taken. Therefore, the period of overlap is apt to be one in which the teacher of God feels called upon to sacrifice his own best interests on behalf of truth. He has not realized as yet how wholly impossible such a demand would be. He can learn this only as he actually does give up the valueless. Through this, he learns that where he anticipated grief, he finds a happy lightheartedness instead; where he thought something was asked of him, he finds a gift bestowed on him."

(Manual for Teachers, 4.I, ACIM)

"Now comes 'a period of settling down'. This is a quiet time, in which the teacher of God rests a while in reasonable peace. Now he consolidates his learning. Now he begins to see the transfer value of what he has learned. Its potential is literally staggering, and the teacher of God is now at the point in his progress at which he sees in it his whole way out. 'Give up what you do not want, and keep what you do.' How simple is the obvious! And how easy to do! The teacher of God needs this period of respite. He has not yet come as far as he thinks. Yet when he is ready to go on, he goes with mighty companions beside him. Now he rests a while, and gathers them before going on. He will not go on from here alone."

(Manual for Teachers, 4.I, ACIM)

"The next stage is indeed 'a period of unsettling'. Now must the teacher of God understand that he did not really know what was valuable and what was valueless. All that he really learned so far was that he did not want the valueless, and that he did want the valuable. Yet his own sorting out was meaningless in teaching him the difference. The idea of sacrifice, so central to his own thought system, had made it impossible for him to judge. He thought he learned willingness, but now he sees that he does not know what the willingness is for. And now he must attain a state that may remain impossible to reach for a long, long time. He must learn to lay all judgment aside, and ask only what he really wants in every circumstance. Were not each step in this direction so heavily reinforced, it would be hard indeed!"

(Manual for Teachers, 4.I, ACIM)

"And finally, there is 'a period of achievement'. It is here that learning is consolidated. Now what was seen as merely shadows before become solid gains, to be counted on in all 'emergencies' as well as tranquil times. Indeed, the tranquility is their result; the outcome of honest learning, consistency of thought and full transfer. This is the stage of real peace, for here is Heaven's state fully reflected. From here, the way to Heaven is open and easy. In fact, it is here. Who would 'go' anywhere, if peace of mind is already complete? And who would seek to change tranquility for something more desirable? What could be more desirable than this?"

(Manual for Teachers, 4.I, ACIM)

Complete trust in God is what solves every seeming problem and difficulty immediately, and in God all things are possible, already given and accomplished. Jesus can teach me how to trust in every circumstance, for he went beyond all fear. All I have to do is ask. What am I asking for?

When I am afraid, I must be trusting in my own strength apart from God which is nothing. Yet fear is never justified. It is reflecting always my choice for a separate identity, being oblivious of my Source of Eternal Reality. I am mistaken when I value the things of this world all of which are fleeting and highly unstable. How could anyone ever feel safe here? It is not possible. It can only be a delusion. Safety cannot be found apart from God. I trust in God. I have no choice. Thank God.

Jesus instructs us about prayer. He admonishes us simply to ask. In seeking God's will to be done everything will be given us.

"Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
(Matthew, 6:8-15)

Thank you, Father, for all Your gifts to me. I am Your Son, loved by You and protected by You in all things.

"If you are trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to be apprehensive, anxious and fearful. What can you predict or control? What is there in you that can be counted on? What would give you the ability to be aware of all the facets of any problem, and to resolve them in such a way that only good can come of it? What is there in you that gives you the recognition of the right solution, and the guarantee that it will be accomplished?

Of yourself you can do none of these things. To believe that you can is to put your trust where trust is unwarranted, and to justify fear, anxiety, depression, anger and sorrow. Who can put his faith in weakness and feel safe? Yet who can put his faith in strength and feel weak?

God is your safety in every circumstance. His Voice speaks for Him in all situations and in every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly what to do to call upon His strength and His protection. There are no exceptions because God has no exceptions. And the Voice Which speaks for Him thinks as He does.

Today we will try to reach past your own weakness to the Source of real strength. Four five-minute practice periods are necessary today, and longer and more frequent ones are urged. Close your eyes and begin, as usual, by repeating the idea for the day. Then spend a minute or two in searching for situations in your life which you have invested with fear, dismissing each one by telling yourself:

God is the strength in which I trust.

Now try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy. It is obvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy, for otherwise you would believe that you could deal with the situation successfully. It is not by trusting yourself that you will gain confidence. But the strength of God in you is successful in all things.

The recognition of your own frailty is a necessary step in the correction of your errors, but it is hardly a sufficient one in giving you the confidence which you need, and to which you are entitled. You must also gain an awareness that confidence in your real strength is fully justified in every respect and in all circumstances.

In the latter phase of the practice period, try to reach down into your mind to a place of real safety. You will recognize that you have reached it if you feel a sense of deep peace, however briefly. Let go all the trivial things that churn and bubble on the surface of your mind, and reach down and below them to the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. There is a place in you where the strength of God abides.

During the day, repeat the idea often. Use it as your answer to any disturbance. Remember that peace is your right, because you are giving your trust to the strength of God."
(Lesson 47, ACIM)

If you are interested in what other lens masters come up with, there is a directory of lenses called Isle of Squid. If you liked this site, and think it is worth mentioning, let others know about it by reviewing it on Isle of Squid. Thank you for your trust and support.