"Trust in the Lord...

with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your

ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3 : 5-6

Most of us know this verse. But have you ever really taken the time to slow down, think

about each phrase and what it really means to us? If you do, I'll bet it calms you down,

lowers your blood pressure a bit, and brings you a sense of peace. I know for me it

does.

Let's take a look:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart" - that's a hard one. Can anyone truly say that you trust the Lord with ALL your heart? With no doubt at all? We all have doubts, its human nature. But this statement reminds us that as hard as it may be, we need to focus on trusting in our Lord, that He will be there - always.

"And lean not on your own understanding" - another hard one. Our understanding is all we have to go by. If something doesn't make sense to us, it is awfully hard to accept. We need to remember that God's way is so far above our understanding, and that trying to understand his way is futile. We need to simply trust in God's way and know that while something may not make sense to us, everything has a sense of purpose in God's eyes.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him" - what does "acknowledge" mean? For me it is showing God's love in everything that we say, think and do. It is showing patience to strangers when someone cuts you off on the highway, or opening the door for someone coming in behind you. It is knowing that everything we have, we have because of God, and being thankful for it.

"And He will make your paths straight" - this puts is all together for me. We need to trust that while we may not understand why we are being put through certain circumstances or why we must endure certain things, we need to trust that God will always be there for us to help us through whatever we face. And that by remembering our blessings in our life and sharing God's love - even when going through hard times - that wherever God leads us, he will be with us every step of the way.

This verse has helped me through a lot of circumstances - some big (losing my job, a

death in the family), some small (stressed about a work project, or just having a bad

day). My prayer for each of you is that you are able to feel some of the peace and calm

that this verse provides me.

Linda Devalk