The Trust Scale is primarily focused upon human relationships and one’s willingness to be emotionally open and vulnerable with loved ones. However, there is one item that provide a good sense about one’s relationship with Spirit as well.

• • I don’t know if some Divine hand is watching over me.

Well, if you don’t know if you are getting divine protection, then it becomes more difficult to trust that life has a purpose, and you will be guided and directed.

There is a saying, “As above so below;” what happens on earth is reflected in the higher realms.  Your score on the Trust scale may give you an indication regarding your inclination to trust God and surrender to His/Her will.  Take a moment to make a realistic assessment of how much you trust in the Lord. Does that trust provide you with any solace and peace of mind?

Trusting God and surrendering is important for one’s spiritual development. The spiritual path requires a willingness and capacity to surrender to God’s will. As we deepen our trust of God, we understand that adversity is not punishment, but as an opportunity to grow stronger and stay close to God.  It is not uncommon for people never to think about God when life is great. It is only when trouble shows up and suffering begins that many individuals then turn to God for help.  Oftentimes, when life is tough, we are growing the most.

In addition, when we fully trust God, we allow ourselves to dive deeper into that relationship. The closer we get, the more connected we feel, the more peace and joy we experience in our life.

It is important to realize that we are talking about two different levels of reality: the physical/material and the spiritual. The physical is transitory, the spiritual is eternal. The soul is untouched by the earthly dramas and suffering. The ego is caught in the identification with the material and suffers constantly with every loss. If our spiritual life is strong, we can trust that even in the face of adversity and loss, something good will emerge. Not necessarily in physical, material reality, but certainly within our spiritual life. Our connection with Spirit and a deeper connection to our soul will often be the result.

My father was a physician and very intelligent man. In the later part of his life he had some strokes and was suffering from dementia. As he lost his mind, his heart and soul began to soar. I spent many wonderful hours with him in complete silence and in communion with his soul. I felt closer to him in those final years than I had ever felt in his life.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D., the swiss psychiatrist who wrote many books on death and dying was a close friend. She wrote the introduction to my book, Sacred Healing: Integrating Spirituality with Psychotherapy. She shared with me many of the stories of individuals she had interviewed who survived near death experiences, like being in an auto accident. She told me people described being aware of everything, but their consciousness was outside their body and they felt no pain or fear.

I am sharing these stories with the hope that they may inspire you to work on your relationship with God.

The following are a couple references from the Bible where Jesus is talking to his disciples and encouraging them to trust in the Father.

 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.  Matthew 16:24-27

Jesus’s reference to “losing life,” and “finding life,” is between our physical, material existence and the transcendent truth of the soul. It takes a lot of faith and trust to surrender at this level. There are two kinds of faith: blind and true.  Blind faith is based upon what you have read, and true faith is based upon what you have experienced. There is a relationship between trust, faith, and surrender. They are all inter-related: experience develops trust, trust creates deeper faith, and faith gives us the courage to surrender.

The next reference seems pretty straightforward and needs no explanation.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

My final story is taken from Paramahansa Yogananda’s, Autobiography of a Yogi. In the chapter, “Babaji, Yogi-Christ of Modern India.” Mahavatar Babaji is referred to as the “deathless master,” because he has kept a body for over one thousand years. He materializes sometimes and otherwise withdraws back into the finer realms. You can read more about him in the Autobiography of a Yogi. Here is what has been written.

THE TEST OF OBEDIENCE

BABAJI’S SACRED CIRCLE was disturbed by the arrival of a stranger. He had climbed with astonishing skill to the nearly inaccessible ledge near the guru’s camp.

“Sir, you must be the great Babaji.”  The man’s face was lit with inexpressible reverence. “For months I have pursued a ceaseless search for you among these forbidding crags. I implore you to accept me as a disciple.”

When the great guru made no response, the man pointed to the rock-lined chasm below the ledge.

“If you refuse me, I will jump from this mountain. Life has no further value if I cannot win your guidance to the Divine.”

“Jump then,” Babaji said unemotionally. “I cannot accept you in your present state of development.”

The man immediately hurled himself over the cliff. Babaji instructed the shocked disciples to fetch the stranger’s body. After they had returned with the mangled form, the master placed his hand on the dead man. Lo! he opened his eyes and prostrated himself humbly before the omnipotent guru.

“You are now ready for discipleship.” Babaji beamed lovingly on his resurrected chela.

“You have courageously passed a difficult test.⁵ Death shall not touch you again; now you are one of our immortal flock.”

^[5] FOOTNOTE: The test concerned obedience. When the illumined master said: “Jump,” the man obeyed. Had he hesitated, he would have disproved his assertion that he considered his life worthless without Babaji’s guidance. Had he hesitated, he would have revealed that he lacked complete trust in the guru. Therefore, though drastic and unusual, the test was a perfect one in the circumstances.

Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi, “Babaji, Yogi-Christ of Modern India”

I admit this is a fantastic story. However, if you choose to believe it, and I do, then it speaks to the power of trust. If this devotee did not have complete trust in Babaji, he would not have jumped. I believe along with obedience, it exemplifies the profound implications that trust can have on our spiritual life and, thereby, our earthly life as well.  This level of surrender and the granting of our trust to someone requires great discrimination. The spiritual path requires great maturity, wisdom, and discernment.

I urge you to be very thoughtful about how you surrender your will.  Use critical thinking, discernment, and a depth of soul intuition. There have been too many people who blindly surrender to a charismatic leader. Jim Jones created the Peoples Temple in Jonestown and convinced his follows to do a mass suicide. We have political leaders who are able to talk people into doing almost anything under the guise of loyalty. Your life is precious. Be thoughtful about how you use it.

In conclusion, take a look at your score on the Trust Scale. There is a saying, “As above so below;” what happens on earth is reflected in the higher realms.  If you have a low level of trust in your earthly condition, does that reflect a lack of trust in your relationship with the Divine?

The converse is likely to be true as well. If your score is high on this scale, it is likely that you also have developed a trusting relationship with the Divine which helps you stay open with your loved ones.

If you would like some ideas regarding Further Growth and Development in the realm of trust, please refer to the suggestions given on the website.