If you had recently asked me for a fun fact about myself, I might’ve shared about my newfound talent: tying my shoelaces with one hand. I know… Quite an amusing talent. Seemingly meaningless too. But this very talent led me to ponder more deeply about something beyond the realm of, well… Laces.
Somewhere along my way home one day, I felt my shoelaces come undone. I looked down in exasperation, my weary arms full of heavy books. I could have taken a detour, found a place to set my things down, and tied my laces. However, I chose to carefully shift all my books onto one arm, bend down and (struggle to) tie my shoelaces. Five awfully long minutes later, I was still crouched down on the ground, determined to prove my shoelace-tying prowess- though I had not made much progress. It would have taken me far less time to take the detour, and yet I was still relentlessly fidgeting with my shoes. It made me think: how stubborn and obstinate I was, so sure that I knew best, that MY WAY was best…
Am I, too, this stubborn in my spiritual life, falsely assured that my way is best and that I have no need for God, making Him unnecessary in my life and refusing to trust Him? Are we, too, this self-reliant in our spiritual lives? Do we fully comprehend and embody what it means to “Lean not on your own understanding?”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
As with any relationship, a vital part of our relationship with God is trust. To trust God is to trust Him with our very lives, placing ALL our trust in Him, not in any man or institution.To trust God, we have to establish a close relationship with Him, believing and obeying every word He says. Take, for example, Abraham in Genesis 22:1-12. When God commanded him to offer Isaac, his first-born and only son, as a burnt offering, Abraham did not hesitate one bit. He did not question God’s command, nor did he decide to take matters into his own hands and do as he saw fit. Instead, he rose early in the morning and set off for the mountains, where he laid Isaac on the altar, prepared to offer his son. In contrast, in Genesis 19:12-26, Lot was warned that the Lord would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot was commanded to escape and not look behind him. Yet as they were fleeing, Lot’s wife looked behind her and she became a pillar of salt. One thing is clear here: she did not place ALL her trust in God, nor did she wholeheartedly believe that she would be brought to safety, as such she did not obey His commands. Can we confidently say that we have adopted an attitude similar to that of Abraham’s, or have we been more like Lot’s wife: doubtful, hesitant, and distrustful?
In a similar vein, Proverbs 3:6 tells us that we are to acknowledge Him in all our ways. In other words, we are to seek His wisdom and counsel in every circumstance we face in life. However, in this increasingly volatile, and ever-changing world, the aforementioned might be easier said than done, as we place our trust in more tangible entities and turn away from God. With the rise of modern “religious” practices such as manifesting and healing crystals, we ought to be alert and wary as ever, cognisant of the fact that only God can deliver us from the struggles we face. Additionally, one should be mindful of the fact that God wants serious inquiries only, and when we seek His wisdom, we are to do so with utmost faith. James 1:5-7 states: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord”.
It is undeniable that in this fast-paced world where people are eminently focused on climbing social ladders, caught in an infinite loop of running the rat race, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters, especially when we let our pride, greed, and selfish desires eclipse our desire to build a close relationship with God. Possibly, we start to think that we can be self-sufficient and independent, and even try to live our lives without God. The story of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9), where the people sought to build a city and a tower “whose top is in the heavens”, and of Adam, Eve, and the forbidden fruit of the tree of good and evil (Gen 3:1-24), serve as testaments to how time and time again, man has craved self-sufficiency and independence from God. The consequences are dire, and the onus is on us to lean not on our own understanding, but to put our full trust in God.
If we learn to trust the Lord with all our heart, we will come to understand that in every circumstance we experience in life, His divine will is accomplished. Hence, let us all strive to place God first and to wholly believe and trust in Him. I know I will, for there is no way I can even attempt to navigate the complexities of this life without Him.
And perhaps, from now on… I’ll be tying my shoelaces with both hands instead.