Trust is the pathway into life and the foundation of our personal relationships. Life begins with trust. Without trust we are dead while still living. While on the journey back home God made it truly clear to me that if I was going to live in the garden as a mature emotionally healthy adult child of God, I was going to have to learn to trust. Trust is a crucial issue inside the garden. Maturing as a child of God is learning how to actively trust. Trust and forgiveness expressed in love are the basis of all healthy relationships and are the relational vehicles that allow God to get involved in our lives. Therefore, trust is critical to our spiritual growth.

     Not long ago it was shared with me that “true intimacy comes from resolved conflict!” Let that one seep deep down into the garden of your heart. Now if that is true and it is, then we must also learn the art of forgiveness. As a child I was taught that “Love hurts, and trust will get you killed.” With this being my motto there would be no chance for me to live as that emotionally mature adult. My motto had to change and be restored to one that agrees with what God says about love and trust. Without trust conflicts will never be resolved and therefore intimacy will never be experienced. Trust means to have a firm belief in the reliability or strength of someone and to place confidence in them. If we are going to live as mature adult children of God, we must learn to trust God and forgive people.

     Where there is no trust there is no relationship. Without trust one will be alone for the rest of their life even if they are in relationships of all kinds. There will never be any connection to others, not a deep intimate one, just surface connections that can break easily. A person with trust in their heart can forgive. They can overlook the offense of another knowing that it comes from their own pain. The apostle Paul said it best in the greatest chapter ever written about love, 1^st Corinthians 13, “Love… keeps no record of wrongs.” There it is, if we are going to live in the garden of our souls as mature adult children of God and love those God has placed in our lives we will keep no record of wrongs past, present, or future.

     I have said it repeatedly throughout my life and in my book that I have felt all alone since I was three years old. I now understand why. My inability to trust and forgive others previously in life kept me isolated and alone for a substantial portion of my life. Because of my deep desire to leave this world and the lonely dark cave I call the desolate wasteland, I was able to be rescued by a Savior Jesus and a Loving father God, and have my trust restored. God has promised us that He will ‘remember our wrongs no more,’ and Jesus has promised us ‘never will I leave you.’ I trust them! My confidence has been placed in them! There you go, trust restored, and forgiveness received!

     If you find yourself feeling alone in this world, I encourage you to look deep inside your soul and ask God, “Do I truly trust you?” Allow God to enter your soul and heal all wounds that may hinder your ability to trust Him and forgive others. This in turn will allow you to master the ‘Art of Trusting and Forgiveness!’

Dario L, Perla