Anonymous asked: What are some examples of how to trust in God? I hear about doing it all the time, and it's not that I'm afraid of trusting Him. Quite the opposite, I'm happy to do His will and leave my own behind. I just don't know how to? I need some concrete examples of ways that I can do it because I'm kinda lost trying to figure out how the heck to trust Jesus on my own without knowing any way to trust Him. Does that make sense? Thanks for listening to me XD.

The first sin was to stop trusting God and instead to trust ourselves, by trying to grasp at divinity and autonomy. Trusting in God is opposed to everything that made the world fallen, and the principle goal of the devil is to get us to stop trusting God.

Trusting in God is essential to salvation, which means that it isn’t easy (or perhaps possible, according to some doctors of the Church) without grace. To follow Jesus means to take up your cross every day, which requires that you deny yourself–and trust in God. Avoiding the Cross is the surest sign that there’s still room to grow in trusting God.

Throughout our lives, there will be moments when what seems to be good for us and what the Church wants us to do seem to pull in different directions–those are the moments of greater or lesser spiritual crisis, where all our (fallen) instincts for self-preservation scream at us to do what seems to be good for us, even if it means disobeying God or His Church, or not doing what we’re told is right.

Examples include (these are not all for everybody, obviously):

Not working on Sunday or Holy Days of Obligation, or asking others to work on those days (CCC #2186-7)



Trusting that God will send you the person that you’re supposed to marry, if you’re supposed to marry, rather than forcing the issue by dressing or acting in ways that manipulate potential spouses.

Praying every day for a good length of time. The more contemplative the prayer–the greater proportion of listening to God rather than talking at Him–the more trusting it is.

Obeying a legitimate command of a legitimate superior, including secular legal authorities.

Tithing–giving at least 10% of your money to the Church, off the top. Giving more if you are wealthy.

Having children.

Making the time to go to daily Mass. And to say the Rosary. And to read Scripture and other spiritual books.

Trying to join a religious order if you can’t think of any reason why that’s clearly not for you–and then trusting the order to discern whether you have a vocation. (See St. Thomas Aquinas’ surprising advice on this.)

to discern whether you have a vocation. (See St. Thomas Aquinas’ surprising advice on this.) Practicing mortifications of the flesh, the will, and the imagination: for instance, fasting, sleeping on the floor, taking cold showers; not reading your email (or tumblr) except at set times; using your free time for study and self-improvement rather than entertaining yourself; living a schedule by going to bed at a set time, getting up at a set time, working hard when you do your work, and stopping when it’s time to pray or do other things.

Telling the truth to those who have a right to know, whatever it costs.

Spreading the gospel to others, even if you’re not sure it will be received well.

Perform the spiritual works of mercy of charitably correcting those who are in moral or intellectual error even if they don’t want to be corrected.

Agere contra: St. Ignatius of Loyola’s exhortation to struggle to do the opposite of what’s comfortable for us: for introverts to go talk to people, for extroverts to spend time in solitude and silence; for those who hate broccoli to eat more of it; for those who don’t feel like praying to do it.

Forgiving and showing mercy to those who you think are still opposed to you.

Not fearing poverty, suffering, or death; meditating on Christ’s commandment to give your life for those you love, and asking in prayer for the strength to do so.

and asking in prayer for the strength to do so. Making a good confession, and being radical in doing what it takes to amend your life (e.g., if you are tempted by stuff on the internet, being prepared to get rid of your computer, reduce your data allowance on your phone or get a flip phone, install a filter, get an accountability partner, seek counseling, and/or consider joining a religious order that leaves the world).

Showing love and respect for people even when their actions aren’t loveable or respectable.

Make the time for a retreat, and overcome the temptations of the devil to compromise the retreat (fighting FOMO, not checking email, etc.).

Don’t worry about tomorrow. Pray for the virtue of hope.

Make time to visit with boring and unpleasant people.

Persevere when God sends us trials, when we don’t feel his presence, when our prayer is dry, when we suffer involuntarily or those around us do, when this world rejects us, when our life seems monotonous, when another path of life seems better than our vocation does, when the Church disagrees with us, when our superior tells us no, when others seem to have a better or holier life than we seem capable of, when our will is not done.

The point is not that our self-love and self-interest are evil, but that they are disordered as a result of our sin and the fallenness of the world. Over the course of our lives, our self-love develops a bunch of psycho-spiritual defense mechanisms to avoid being hurt by the fallenness of the world, and the central problem of our spiritual life is usually to unwind our pride and fears and defense mechanisms so that we can trust God more than we trust ourselves. That’s largely doable, but it requires spiritual exercises of the type suggested above–and perseverance when God tests us, as He will.