When we feel overwhelmed with life, nothing is more helpful than trusting God. Knowing that a wise, powerful Father- God will ultimately take care of us calms our fears and produces peace. But in order to trust God we must believe in His goodness – that He loves us more than we love ourselves and that He desires to give us what is best for us.

If we question God’s goodness or His great love for us, we will have difficulty trusting our lives into His care. So how do we know God is worthy of our trust?

If we consider what He has already done for us, we should be convinced of his goodness towards us. He created a beautiful and amazing universe consisting of 500 billion galaxies with 500 billion to 1 trillion stars in each galaxy. He gave us physical bodies that are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:4, NIV). And He gave us Himself in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Christ’s death as payment for our sins and His gift of eternal life are the highest expressions of God’s love. When we consider all that God has done for us there is no reason to doubt that He will always give us what we need. Paul writes in Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (NIV).

Focus on God’s Goodness

Perception often defines our reality, and what we focus on matters just as much or more than our circumstances – “what you see is what you get.” The person we become is strongly influenced by our perceptions of ourselves as well as what we choose to think about. “For as he thinks in his heart so is he” (Proverb 23:7a, KJ-2000).

Excessive worry, focusing on our fears, or a negative mind-set can undermine all the good in our lives. We will eventually become depressed and obsessed with worries and guilt if we constantly focus on problems, mistakes, and fears. If we count our blessings, live in the present, and focus on the simple joys of each moment, we can experience peace in the middle of the storm and rise above the inevitable difficulties that we face in this life.

To a great extent we choose our own destiny. What we think about and how we view life is critical.

I like to tell a story of two boys who go to visit their grandpa’s farm. One boy, Johnny, is left in a barn filled with horse manure. The other boy, Tommy, is left in a room full of toys. When granddad returns to check on them, Tommy is sitting in the middle of all the toys pouting. “What’s wrong?” his grandfather asks. “Well, if I try to play with these toys, they will probably just break,” Tommy explains. But when grandpa gets back to Johnny he finds him digging through the horse manure and having a great time. Grandpa asks, “What’s going on?” and Johnny responds, “With all this horse poop there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”

As this story illustrates, attitudes shape our experience. William James said, “The most important factor is your belief.”