The Dark & Stormy 🌊

Trusting in God and taking action are not opposites.

Trust requires action:

In a recent Instagram doomscroll, I came across a reel of a Christian influencer who presented the antidote to mental health struggles as simply trusting in God.

While I understood the intention behind this person’s message—that we can trust God with all things—I struggled with the implication that trust means passivity.

This video caused me to consider how in western Christianity, we often see relying on God and taking action as two opposing things.

However, trusting in God doesn’t mean adopting passivity. Rather, it often looks like asking God for help while becoming active participants in the work God is doing in and through us.

This has been especially in my own journey of pursuing mental health.

Because I believe God desires wholeness for me, I’ve taken steps of faith toward healing. I’ve asked God to calm my anxiety and prayed for healing from the long-term impact of childhood trauma.

I’ve also spent years in therapy, worked to break unhealthy patterns, and gone through multiple rounds of EMDR.

Far from the opposite of trust, these have been active steps of faith as I have trusted God with the outcome.

We can ask for God’s provision and take action, participating in what we’re asking God to do.

We can pray for God to heal us from trauma and see a licensed therapist for help.

We can trust God with our relationships and set healthy boundaries.

While there are certainly situations in which all we can do is ask God for help and trust he will provide, it’s important to clarify that taking action doesn’t mean we lack faith.

Rather, it means we can confidently take steps of faith and trust God with the outcome.

August Book Recommendation:

Trusting God while discerning what actions to take can feel like a daunting task. In The Next Right Thing, spiritual director Emily P. Freeman offers insight and wisdom for identifying and acting on our own next right steps.

August Blog Preview

As a follow-up to today’s conversation, this month’s blog will explore practical ways to live out trust in God through our actions. To receive the post straight to your inbox, you can subscribe here.