There is a quiet strength about him that you see almost instantly. While he is funny, gregarious, and gifted in welcoming others, it is his unwavering trust in the heart of God that you see threaded through his life, conversations, even his writing.
He is my dad.
Kristi Griem Dad with Quote
“What is it?” you might ask, that makes this quiet strength? My dad trusts the heart of God. I am not talking about the kind of trust where you “give things” to Him, or “trust in God” (and not in your super suit, like Jr. Asparagus!). I am talking about an “en-trust.” Where you trust the heart of God in a way that you know all things really are for your good. That you entrust your fears, joys, and sorrows to Him, knowing that He is not just big enough to hold them, but perhaps allowed them for a greater purpose.
Who Had this Quality in the Bible?
When I look at my son and think about qualities of Biblical manhood that will serve him and the Kingdom down the line, I think of Abraham. He trusted the heart of God to uproot his family, move to live within a different people group, and just obey. He trusted the heart of God in a way where obedience wasn’t a consideration, it was a part of who Abraham was. Abraham didn’t just trust in God, he trusted the heart of God, entrusting his future, his family, and the generations that would follow, in His hands. You can see Abraham’s trust in the heart of God when God promises generations will come from him, who yet remains to become a father. And his trust in the heart God surfaces again, when God asks him to sacrifice his own son. We see this same trust in the heart of God in David, Joseph, and in Esther.
Why Trust the Heart of God?
When you trust the heart of God, the most outlandish, crazy, illogical things seem to pale in comparison with what a lack of obedience would look like and mean in your relationship with the Creator. There is a quiet, confident understanding that He knows YOU and really does have your best interests in mind. That God does have a plan for your life-not to harm you, but to prosper you. To give you a hope and future (Jer 29:11). Whatever He is asking you to do is not something that He will not equip you for. He will never leave you or forsake you.
As this quality of Biblical manhood becomes present in your son’s life, and he begins to trust the heart of God, he has a quiet confidence in Whose he is. He trusts that the Lord will provide. That nothing that happens is a surprise to God, or that He thought you were incapable of handling this mountain you find yourself at the base to climb. It is so much easier to obey and follow God when you understand and trust His heart.
The Key Thing About Learning to Trust the Heart of God
Here is the thing about learning to trust the heart of God:
- while you are learning, sometimes leaning on the guardrails that keep you there, your children and those around you are learning and watching too. I always think I am learning something just for me. Or that I am the only one affected by what I am learning, but the truth is, what you are going through, or what you are learning affects you and those around you.
- You learning to trust the heart of God actually teaches your son a quality of Biblical manhood that will serve him for a lifetime. My dad did not learn this overnight. He would tell you it is a life lesson that is still in the making. The impact it has had is generational now though. Trusting the heart of God is not just a life lesson he learned, but one that my children and I are learning too.
Practical Application
- Look at the areas of your life where you might not be trusting in God fully. If there is an area you can begin to talk to your son about, share with him how you are learning to trust the heart of God in “____” way. You might not be there yet, but the learning process will encourage them as they too, seek to trust in the heart of the Father.
- Begin weaving how you are trusting in the heart of God into your conversations. Remind yourself and your son(s) how the Lord came through and you were able to trust in His heart.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, I pray for the courage to trust You. To trust that the heart of who You are and that plans you have for me and my children are good. That they are plans to prosper me (and them) and not to harm us.
Like this article? You might find these resources helpful and encouraging:
My Upmost for His Highest, Circle Maker and Circle Maker for Your Kids.
