{"id":1438,"date":"2011-08-21T05:31:55","date_gmt":"2011-08-21T09:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=1438"},"modified":"2011-08-21T19:24:37","modified_gmt":"2011-08-21T23:24:37","slug":"trusting-god-means-action-not-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/08\/trusting-god-means-action-not-knowledge.html","title":{"rendered":"Trusting God means action–not knowledge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>When I’m going on a trip, it’s important to know where I am going.\u00a0It seems pretty fundamental\u00a0that all of us need to know where we are going.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In contrast, we love to quote and sing, Proverbs 3:5, “Trust the Lord with all your heart and don’t depend on\u00a0 your own understanding.”\u00a0 However,\u00a0do we actually realize what God is saying?\u00a0\u00a0Most of the time God tells us that we are to go.\u00a0 Then he does not fill in the blanks.\u00a0 We end up not knowing exactly where our journey will end.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

We love to reminisce about the great story of Abram and how God sent him away from his homeland, his friends and \u00a0family (Genesis 12:1-9).\u00a0 The romance of the story grips my spirit of adventure and thrills me down to my toe nails.\u00a0 That is, until God tells me to do something that is a tiny bit out of my comfort zone.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>While I don’t like to admit it, I’m convinced that trusting God means actions–not knowledge.\u00a0 Abram obeyed God.\u00a0 In like manner, we must choose to obey God and we don\u2018t have to know everything.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Years ago, I took a lot of time when I was wrapping gifts.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was a big deal to me.\u00a0 I crafted alligators from umbrellas.\u00a0 Drums and flutes made from simple\u00a0packages were a part of\u00a0an under-the-Christmas-tree garden I created most years.\u00a0 Gifts became things that were extravagant, silly and even beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, when I started with each gift, I didn\u2018t know where I was going with the gift.\u00a0 Consequently,\u00a0I started with a vague idea. Eventually, that idea grew until I had a work of art made of wrapping paper, scotch tape, ribbon, glue and nick-nacks from around my house.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It became a game to me.\u00a0 As I went along, step by step, I could see in my mind’s eye what needed to be done next.\u00a0 Slowly, I knew how to wrap the gift and what it should look like.<\/p>\n

I think God allowed me to\u00a0experience this when I was younger because often I would think:\u00a0 This is the way God leads us.\u00a0 We start.\u00a0 We\u00a0take one small step at a time.\u00a0 Following inch by inch, we are able to understand what God desires from us.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0friend and former Special Gathering member\u00a0who moved from our area told me that she could not attend church anymore because she did not have a Special Gathering program in her town.\u00a0 She said, “If I go to another church, I will have a bad attitude.\u00a0 I know God doesn’t want me to have a bad attitude.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Special Gathering is a chapel program for people who are developmentally delayed.\u00a0 We are in eight cities in Florida and South Carolina.\u00a0 We are geared specifically for people who are mentally challenged.\u00a0 It is true that there was no program designed like Special Gathering \u00a0for\u00a0my friend\u00a0in her new city.\u00a0 But that was not a good excuse.<\/p>\n

We need to put the Lord first no matter what the circumstances.\u00a0 We need to have Jesus at the beginning of each endeavor, slowly working toward the end.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Abram did not know where he was going.\u00a0 Neverthless, he did know who was leading him.\u00a0 You and I can trust God to lead\u00a0us into the right things.\u00a0 Trusting God means actively following Jesus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I’m going on a trip, it’s important to know where I am going.\u00a0It seems pretty fundamental\u00a0that all of us need to know where we are going.\u00a0 In contrast, we love to quote and sing, Proverbs 3:5, “Trust the Lord with all your heart and don’t depend on\u00a0 your own understanding.”\u00a0 However,\u00a0do we actually realize…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,3,40,186,49,16,8,4],"tags":[690,688,696,7,699,701,694,6],"class_list":["post-1438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-simple-scriptural-truths"],"yoast_head":"\nTrusting God means action-not knowledge - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/08\/trusting-god-means-action-not-knowledge.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trusting God means action-not knowledge - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I’m going on a trip, it’s important to know where I am going.\u00a0It seems pretty fundamental\u00a0that all of us need to know where we are going.\u00a0 In contrast, we love to quote and sing, Proverbs 3:5, “Trust the Lord with all your heart and don’t depend on\u00a0 your own understanding.”\u00a0 However,\u00a0do we actually realize…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/08\/trusting-god-means-action-not-knowledge.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-21T09:31:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-08-21T23:24:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/08\/old-world-map1-300x229.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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