We’ve all seen trust falls.

You know, the ones where people close their eyes and fold their arms, then fall backwards believing that someone is waiting there to catch them?

It takes a huge amount of courage to put your trust in someone you cannot see. It takes an even greater amount of courage to put your trust in someone you cannot see after your previous “trust fall” didn’t turn out the way that you hoped it would.

Trust in the Lord

In his latest full-length talk, “Trust in the Lord,” motivational speaker John Bytheway addresses the 2022 youth theme for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Recorded in March 2022, John creates a parable to remind us that life is not quite the “instant vending machine” we hope it might be. All too often, we find ourselves putting something into life and expecting an immediate return or a blessing. 

That’s not how the Lord intended life to be.

Instead, life is more like a “wait-and-see vending machine”…where we put in the work, the obedience, the faith and the hope, then trust that God’s promised blessings will come in the time He knows will be best for us.

Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding

As humans, we like to try to figure things out on our own. We like to try to make sense of things that might not make any earthly sense at all. Like Job and Joseph Smith and so many others before us, we are answer-driven. We seek for understanding for things that we simply cannot explain.

It can be difficult to wait for the Lord to give us answers, knowing that sometimes the answers might take time and some might not come at all. It takes a whole lot of courage to actively choose to “trust fall” into our Heavenly Father and His plan for us when we cannot physically see when promised blessings will eventually come out of the proverbial “vending machine”.

It’s times like these that we might find peace in the following quotes:

• “God is more interested in our growth than in our comfort.”
• “Can you trust God enough to say: I know you love me. How can I grow? What can I learn from this? Is there a way that I can help others who are going through something similar?”
• “I don’t think that God causes all suffering, but He never wastes it.” (quoting Steven J. Lund)
• “Trust in the Lord’s love for you.”
• “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”