What do you think of when you hear the word trust? I think of a place of comfort or a person who is dependable; someone I can count on. Where does trust start? In my case, it starts with me. When I was unable to trust myself, how could I trust others?
There was a time when life had beaten me down so far, I lost any semblance of trust that might have been there originally. I had hit the bottom of the trust well, and the well was dry. But I think that the experience of hitting bottom was necessary, in order for me to be able to regain the trust I have today. For me, trust represents more than hope or belief. To me, trust is faith in action. It is a knowledge that runs so deep that I cannot even explain it in words. I can only experience it as an internal certainty.
How does one who has lost the things that they hold most dear ever hope to trust again? As with most things we learn, learning to trust starts at a very early age. Some of us were not able to learn to trust at that early age; others of us lost the ability to trust along life’s way. So what happens when we lose that trust in our lives? I can assure you that the mistrust that replaces the trust is like an acid that slowly eats away at everything in our lives, right down to the spiritual core. Few things are enjoyable anymore. We start to doubt ourselves, our family members and our friends.
We believe that when things don’t work out, it’s our fault. We’re not good enough or “they” just didn’t try hard enough because they knew it was important to us. Our mistrust makes us sour or always finding fault in others and the things around us. Mistrust shows itself gradually, in many ways.
The bottom line is that we are hurting, and since we are unable to address the hurt, we compensate by blaming others and finding fault with ourselves, God and others. At the workshops I conduct. I am able to share details of my own experiences with losing trust, dealing with mistrust, and the resources that enabled me to find trust again, which I thought was impossible. I help others view the things that hurt them from a different perspective, through the use of guided meditations, a simple yet powerful set of worksheets, and with affirmations, all within a very safe environment.
What most people are able to experience after (and sometimes even during) the workshops is a renewed confidence in and reliance on their own character, their own ability, and new-found inner strength that helps them see those negative experiences in a different light. They undergo a spiritual awakening that helps them invite more trust into their lives. After the workshops, spiritual counseling is offered to help participants put what they have learned into practice in their lives.
Once they are able to establish a higher level of trust into their lives, they inevitably begin to find a sense of love and peace that was lost and, for some, never experienced in their lives. Others around those who have participated in the workshops have commented on how differently and more positively that person is reacting to situations around them.
It is all about the trust. I urge you to reach out to gain it or reclaim it. I promise you that it will change your life in ways you never dreamed were possible.
Originally published in Inner Realm magazine
