Trust in the Lord and do good

 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices.” Psalm 37:3-7 ESV

 Trust….. Such a powerful word. For those of us who believe in this word, most likely know what it means because of betrayal and abandonment. You see, those that betray and abandon have no concept of trust. It is us that have been hurt deeply by those we relied on to care for us, or have loved with all we have. We truly understand trust. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable, disclose your deepest fears, or secrets. Letting your guard down and letting someone see who you really are. Those of us that value trust, know that it is earned. A mixture of integrity and reliability.

 Trust is not a static response. It doesn’t mean we stop wringing our hands and letting them hang limply at our sides. It is active. Trust is relying on the integrity, strength, and ability of God. It’s placing our worries in his capable hands and then doing good. It’s choosing to walk in his ways, believing that his heart is good toward us. Even when we can’t see it because our prayers are not answered the way we want them to be. Trust leads to tranquility.

 In order to ever be able to heal from the moral wounds of trauma, and be able to trust someone again, we must first actively trust our Lord. The beauty of the Paladin family is that we have all experienced trauma, being let down, betrayed, and have seen the evil in the world. We can trust each other by being vulnerable and supporting one another as we live with the effects of trauma. It is a kindred bond we share. Only we understand, and we would never betray one another.

 No matter how alone you may feel, God is there! Not just in Spirit, but also working through others just like you. Our pain has purpose, and we must love and trust each other. The rest of the world does not understand. By learning to trust, you help yourself heal. Isolation is not a cure!

 Dr. Capps is the OIC (Maj) of Chaplain Services and Chief Psychological Officer of the VDF Chaplain Corps Psychological Resources Program. He also owns and operates Capps Christian Counseling LLC. since 2009. Dr. Capps holds a PhD. in Clinical Pastoral Counseling, a Doctorate in Christian Education, Advanced certification in Crisis and Abuse counseling and has extensive experience with trauma, PTSD, PTS, Cumulative stress, complex trauma, and crisis and abuse counseling. He has faithfully served with the USN, and the Virginia Defense Force. He is responsible for the creation of the VDF Mental Health Initiative, and the standing up of the Psychological Health Resources Program.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash