Alma gave Shiblon some wonderful advice, with this bit standing out to me:
"...as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions...."He goes on to speak of eternal rewards, but I'd like to focus today on blessings we might receive in this life.
In this little statement Alma points out plainly that we can trust in degrees and that God's blessings seem to come to the degree we trust. The principle makes sense, but has somehow escaped me until today.
Looking back on my past, though, bears this out. Clearly, 100% trust is what we're shooting for. But kindly, Heavenly Father will reward 50% trust in order to help us build our faith and trust in Him. Looking back on my life, I have often been inclined to hold a little bit back. I might have occasionally used the excuse that I was pacing myself. Or keeping a reserve for tomorrow. Or keeping a little "arm of the flesh" in the equation in case God was distracted or nodded off for a moment. Can you see how very shallow those excuses seem when described this way? Really, there is no excuse, I just didn't fully trust and the result was that I wasn't fully blessed.
Lately, things are beginning to change. God has never let me down. I am the one who lets down. I'm coming closer to fully trusting. Of course when I approach that sensation, I often get a new trial, or trouble or affliction that specifically shows me a new dimension of need in the trust department. I'm glad of that, gradually, by degree, my loving Father is teaching me to entirely and completely put my trust in Him, all of it.
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