The Trust Zone...

As my wife and I traveled during the forty minute ride into Cary, NC for our dental cleaning appointments yesterday, we listened to a financial advisor on the local AM talk radio station.  At one point the host was answering a question concerning a caller who was having difficulty getting life insurance due to a past bout with a certain disease.  As they discussed the particular medical problem and the limited ways that the insurance companies work with that situation, I suddenly found myself thinking about my wife’s medical situation and some of the similar things that we experienced as we searched for the best answers for my wife’s needs after moving back to California in 2009.

And like a bolt of lightning, it suddenly struck me that God had an overall plan for our particular situation from the very beginning of our ordeal!  I realized that by obeying the directions that we felt the Lord was giving to us by quitting my outside-of- home employment, was actually the best medical and financial decision we could have made at the time. 

While we meandered along Highway 55 toward the small town of Apex, I began to look back at the step by step progression that the good Lord walked us through from 2009 until the present day.  And it all made perfect sense… by quitting my job when I did,it set in motion the progression of events that were necessary for us to apply for the different federal and state benefits that I had paid into through the 40 plus years of my work career.  And when that was all said and done, Piper was under the care of one of the best neurologists in northern California who, along with her team of experts, was at our side in those turbulent early days and patiently and very informatively walked us through all the changes that Piper was experiencing… and it didn’t cost us a cent!  And on top of that, we applied for and were accepted into a county program in which they paid me to take care of my wife.

Now on the other hand, if I had stayed at my outside employment we would have had to pay for some semi-skilled caregivers to come in and spend the day with Piper as it was evident that she could no longer be alone while I was at work.  This was an option that I was already familiar with as my siblings and I had hired care workers for my parents while they were still living in their home as my Dad needed increasing assistance that my Mom could not provide.  Therefore I knew the costs involved with this plan and it wasn’t hard to calculate that the income from my job would almost entirely go to this expense, leaving little for other things like food, rent and so on!

But what struck me the most was the revelation that God knew “the end from the beginning…” (Isaiah 46:10 KJV).  Clearly we didn’t at that time, but we knew just enough to keep seeking and obeying Him for every step that He directed us to take along the way!  Then it dawned on me that we had (and still are) walking in “The Trust Zone!”  Simply put, the eyes of our expectations were focused on Him and His Word so that we were always available to hear and follow each command He gave to us, no matter what other voices were trying to influence our decisions. 

Sure, quitting one’s job doesn’t always seem to be the logical thing to do when you’re facing a situation that will have a high impact on one’s resources.  But it seems that God doesn’t always follow the ways of man’s intellect or logic.  God’s ways are higher and boundless!  By this time on our short trip into the big city, I was so excited that I almost had to pull over and celebrate!  Then I thought about 1 Corinthians 2:16 where the Apostle Paul tells us that we Christians “have the mind of Christ” (KJV) which is a verse I have been speaking over Piper multiple times a day since the very beginning of this journey.

And I suddenly turned to look at Piper who was slumped in the seat next to me and ask… “So is that what it really means to have the mind of Christ?  To live and abide in ‘The Trust Zone’ where you may not always know the end picture, but are wholly trusting in God and His Word Who usually only unveils one step at a time.”

When we got home a few hours later (with clean, shiny teeth, I might add!) I immediately pulled out one of my Bibles and turned to 1 Corinthians chapter two and read from verse thirteen to sixteen where it talks about having the mind of Christ.  Verse thirteen begins by stating that “we don’t speak about these things (‘the things which God hath prepared for those who love him’ I Corinthians 2:9 KJV) using teachings that are based on intellectual arguments like people do.  Instead, we use the Spirit’s teachings.  We explain spiritual things to those who have the Spirit.” 

Then the next verse continues the thought declaring: “A person who isn’t spiritual doesn’t accept the teachings of God’s Spirit.  He thinks they’re nonsense.  He can’t understand them because a person must be spiritual (ie; in ‘The Trust Zone’) to evaluate them.” (I Corinthians 2:13-14 The Message)  At that point I sat back in my chair at the dining room table and simply muttered “WOW!” (I’ve been saying that a lot lately!)

Like I said earlier, we knew God had a plan that would turn out for our benefit if we followed Him each step along the way.  We just didn’t have any idea of the specifics of the plan.  All we did know to do was to follow Him without question or fear!  I’ve said many times before, that one of the hardest things that we have had to deal with along the way of this chapter in our lives was/is the fear of others and the way they project those fears onto our situation.

Well, let me tell you… on the rest of the way to and the whole way home, I simply sat back in my cushioned chair behind the wheel of our SUV and soaked in the goodness of God!  What a comfort and confirmation we received in knowing that we’ve been on the right path all along… as we sought to stay in “The Trust Zone” by simply putting our trust in the One who has NEVER let us down!

If you’re dealing with any questionable and/or tough situations today, let me assure you by our personal experience, that God’s Word IS true and that you can take comfort and have boldness in knowing that Papa God “knows the beginning from the end (for you and your particular situation)…” and as He told us along the way and says to YOU today: “My plan will stand, and I'll do everything I intended to do." (Isaiah 46:10 KJV/God’s Word ©)

Have a super weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What ZONE am I expecting to stay in today?”