I have been thinking a lot lately about the weight and meaning words carry and how I, surely along with some of you, have unintentionally taken the value out of words that if were taken seriously, could change yours and my life.
I noticed this phenomenon taking place in my own life as I was listening and singing along to a commonly known worship song- “Oceans” by Hillsong. I’m sure some of you are familiar with this song. One line in particular caught my attention- “take me deeper where my trust is without boarders”. Even though I have sung that line probably a hundred times… those words caught me by surprise. Trust without boarders. Suddenly my memory flashed back to times at church camp and Sunday morning services and youth group where I was surrounded by people- myself included- belting out these lyrics… as if I really liked the sound of them. John Stuart Mill, an 1800s philosopher, put it this way “[Christians are] not insecure when they say that they believe these things. They do belive them, as people believe what they have always heard lauded and never discussed… They have a habitual respect for the sound of them, …[but] whenever conduct is concerned, they look round for Mr. A and B to direct them how far to go in obeying Christ.”. You see, I feel like I, probably along with many others, have acquired a “habitual respect” for the words “trust Without boarders”.They sound like a phrase someone just casually throws in a prayer because it sounds good. “Dear God, thank you for this day, help me with [fill in the blank], take me deeper where my trust is without boarders, in Jesus name, Amen”. Of course this was just a scenario that I made up. My point is, this phrase is said so casually, but do we actually know what it means? I sure don’t, but I want to find out.
So, what is trust with boarders? I feel like in order to know what trust without boarders means, we must first identify what trust with boarders is. So what is it? Here’s what I think. Trust with boarders is putting limitations and restrictions on the extent to which I choose to trust God. It’s telling God “I trust you with [fill in the blank] as long as I approve of the outcome.” Or maybe it’s saying, “God I trust you are in control, until something goes wrong for me… until I get [hurt, offended, weakened, humiliated].” Trust with boarders is putting my trust in things/people/principalities that are not God. Often, it even looks like putting trust in my own abilities, plans, dreams, words, and intentions. It’s taking control out of God’s hands and taking it into my own. And it’s putting God into a box, as if He wasn’t the one who put everything into existence in the first place. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that God does NOT belong in a box.
You’re probably thinking, okay Paige get to the part where you tell me what trust without boarders looks like. Well, to be honest with you I’m still figuring that part out. Theres a lot of unknowns about my future and I’m learning to be okay with the fact that right now, I don’t need to worry about what my future looks like. Of course I have my own dreams and plans for my life, who doesn’t? But if there’s something God has been teaching me this past year, it’s that His plan for my life is better than my own. I’m having to daily come to God and surrender my dreams and plans for my life and say “I am CHOOSING to trust you.” I’m having to give up control…and let me tell ya, it ain’t easy.
Here are some questions I’m still asking myself:
What would my life look like if I trusted God without boarders in all circumstances?
What am I missing out on by not trusting God without boarders?
I am not finished discoveing what the words “trustwithout boarders” looks like in my own life- not even close. I’m still searching the scriptures, challenging myself, and asking God lots of questions. But something that has remained constant in my life is this: No matter what the circumstance, God IS good and in my 18 years of life, He has not let me down.
