Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!
Holly invites us to reflect on our spiritual journey each week. Today’s theme is Trust.
Maya, weaver of illusions,
how is it we trust the web, the nest,
the roof over our heads, we trust the stars
our guardians who gave us our alphabet?
We trust the turtle’s shell because
it, too, says house and how can we read
the footprints of birds on shoreline sand,
& October twigs that fall to the ground
in patterns that match the shell & stars?Excerpt from House Spiders by Judith Vollmer
Read more of this poem here.
Trust is essential to living in this world. Embedded in the word trust is the word truth. One must be true to himself before he can be true to others. My One Little Word for 2014 is Open. Being Open is all about trust. Trusting my heart to lead me. Letting go and letting God. Giving over my need to control.
Prayer is at the center of trust. If I put my trust in God, I speak that trust in my prayer. “Not my will, but yours be done.” There is power in giving trust in prayer. I believe that power can influence the universe, move mountains, and heal.
Judith Vollmer’s poem speaks of trust in nature, the goodness of things such as house spiders. Her poem concludes with these lines: “I feel less and less like
a single self, more like
a weaver, myself, spelling out
formulae from what’s given
and from words.”
As I grow older, I feel less like a single self. I feel more a part of the family of things. I open myself to experience the world around me, and worry less about what it has to do with me. A few weeks ago, I stood by and watched a young student of mine bury her mother. I watched as she cringed at the sound of the casket being pushed into the mausoleum. This was not about me. I trusted God that I needed to be there. In the days that have followed, I realize that I had to share that experience with my student so that she would know that I know. She has complete trust in me. Sometimes trust is about giving up ourselves. Trust is about being present.
“As I grow older, I feel less like a single self.” What a beautiful, wise, and important concept! I can feel that about you. You have taken the word and idea of OPEN and blessed and inspired all of us by it. You are indeed a giving and vital part of all kinds of communities. Thank you.
What a connection between trust and begin available and sharing love in the time of need. Us being that connection, builds that trust. Sometimes God uses us being a connection to build a bridge to him. I love this essay. Thanks for sharing.