“Trust in the LORD forever!” (Isaiah 26:4). These words offer a powerful reminder of
what it means to live in faith. But as I reflect on them, I realize that trusting God is not
merely a passive act of belief—it requires action, surrender, and a willingness to align
our lives with His will.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes this clear: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father”
(Matthew 7:21). Trusting God is not simply about acknowledging Him with words but
living in obedience to His plan. And yet, as straightforward as that may sound, it often
feels anything but simple.

Like many others, I often approach life with a vision of how things should unfold. I set
goals, create plans, and map out my future in a way that aligns with my desires. But
what happens when those plans don’t align with God’s? This tension between my will
and His is something that I have been struggling with recently.

As I prepare for graduation next spring, the future looms large. Decisions about life after
college feel overwhelming. Initially, I navigated this process by focusing solely on my
own desires—what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, and how I could achieve
success. I didn’t think to ask God what He wanted for me.

Even then, I felt uncertain about my desires for the future. The more I leaned on my own
understanding, the more lost I felt. It wasn’t until I revisited the words of Proverbs
3:5-6—“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”—that I recognized what was missing: trust. I needed to surrender my plans and
seek God’s guidance.

When I made that shift—when I let go of my need for control and started asking God
what He wanted for me—everything changed. Unexpected doors began to open, and
opportunities I hadn’t considered started to appear. These new paths didn’t align with
my original vision, but they were far better than anything I had imagined.

This experience has taught me that trust isn’t about certainty or immediate clarity. It’s
about believing that God’s plans are good, even when they differ from our own. It’s
about stepping into the unknown with faith that He will guide us. If I had clung to my
original plans, I would have missed out on the opportunities that God had in store.
Trusting God doesn’t mean life will always be easy or that we won’t face challenges. But
it does mean we don’t have to face them alone. When we acknowledge Him in all our
ways, He promises to direct our paths—not always in the way we expect, but always in
the way that is best.

As I continue this journey of discerning my future, I’m learning to rest in the knowledge
that God’s plans are greater than mine. And with each step of trust, I’m discovering that
His way truly leads to paths beyond what I could have ever planned for myself.