Trust and Grow

In a world where lifetime guarantees and 90-day warranties fade as fast as the latest newspaper headline, trust can be hard to find and difficult to depend on. But we have Someone  who enables us to trust and grow as we move forward in our lives.

We read in the Book of Mormon a beautiful teaching about trust: “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm” (2 Nephi 4:34). To trust and grow requires more than flesh alone can do.

Learning to Trust and Grow

When pondering the principle of trust, I found valuable insights in the talk “Trust in the Lord,” by Elder Paul B. Pieper. He worked from a progress perspective: “Each time we accept and act on an invitation, our trust in God grows. If we ignore or decline an invitation, our progress stops until we’re ready to act on a new invitation.” Trust can grow. Just like learning any new skill, practice brings proficiency.

He worked from a progress perspective: “Each time we accept and act on an invitation, our trust in God grows. If we ignore or decline an invitation, our progress stops until we’re ready to act on a new invitation.” Trust can grow. Just like learning any new skill, practice brings proficiency.

I have been discovering how to make sourdough bread. Every day I get up and feed my start, keep it warm, and watch it grow. Then I use that start to make dough, form a loaf, let it rise, and bake it. This process has taught me about what ingredients and procedures are more effective in making bread. Taking time every day to make bread has given me time to ponder on other areas of my life where I am still growing and learning. Especially my faith to trust and grow with God.

As with a sourdough start, what we feed will grow. And what we ignore dies. As we feed our trust in God, it can mature and flourish as we follow a prompting, let go of worry, read scriptures, pray, and attend the temple. But unlike making bread, trust in God isn’t a recipe to follow but a relationship to foster. Elder Pieper described how a trust and grow relationship may progress.

Trust is the foundation of all relationships. A threshold question to any relationship is “Can I trust the other person?” A relationship forms only when people are willing to place trust in each other. It is not a relationship if one person trusts completely but the other does not.

Progressing and Gaining Strength

 Even though we may talk about effective acts of faith, there is not a checklist or a formula to feed faith as we trust and grow in our relationship with God. But there are small and simple offerings we can do daily to strengthen our trust in God the Father and His Son.

Think about some offerings of trust you might give as you cultivate more trust with God. Obeying a commandment, attending church, and forgiving others are powerful ways we can use our agency to expand our faith and trust in God.

For God is omniscient, perfect, and merciful. Because of His love for all of us, Father in Heaven wants us to become like Him. Agency is the best way to learn as we trust and grow and become like our Heavenly Parents. Elder Pieper understood how agency can be a challenge for us as it is a perfection for God.

Every parent knows how difficult it is to trust a child enough to let them make their own decisions, especially when the parent knows the child is likely to make mistakes and suffer as a result. Yet Heavenly Father allows us to make the choices that will help us reach our divine potential!

Continuing Forever

It is easier to advance in a trusting relationship with God when we remember the characteristics of the perfect God we trust. He will not fail. His promises are sure. He loves you and wants your eternal happiness. So if you are wondering if trusting God is setting you up for pain or pushing you forward to everlasting joy, consider the joy.

Elder Piper offers assurance.

The good news is that regardless of the trust we may or may not have chosen to place in God in the past, we can choose to trust God today and every day going forward. I promise that each time we do, God will be there to catch us, and our relationship of trust will grow stronger and stronger until the day that we become one with Him and His Son.

 And just like when making sourdough bread, what you feed grows. My sourdough start helps the bread to rise, creating something that is beautiful and nourishing. So too with small acts of faith. You can continue to feed and grow your relationship of trust with God. Trusting that a relationship with Him is worth the effort and will last forever.