Laying a Foundation of Trust: Defining a Firm Foundation of Trust

A foundation of trust gives you something to stand on when everything around you is falling apart. If there’s ever been a time when you need a solid foundation of trust, now is the time. But on what are you building your foundation of trust?

The song we sand declared that we were standing on a solid rock and all other ground was sinking sand. I’ve been on sinking sand. It’s scary and unbalancing, and the last thing you think about doing is building there. You don’t even want to keep standing there.

A Shifting Foundation

Many years ago, I was helping clean out the beaver dams that clogged up the stream along our driveway. The beavers were persistent. For every one we knocked down, they seemed to build three more. And then we’d have to go out and tear those down.

The waders I used were just a little too big for me, so I had to have on shoes to fill in the gap. On this one occasion, I stepped into sand that quickly shifted under me, sucked down my waders, and threatened to take me down as well.

With some struggle and the assistance of the pitchfork I carried to use in tearing down the beaver dams, I managed to get one foot on solid ground. The other foot remained sucked down into the sinking sand. 

I pulled, tried to keep my balance, and finally, my foot was free. Just my foot. My wader leg and now tennis shoe were both still firmly caught in the sand which knocked me further off balance because now I was standing on one foot. With only one foot to balance, I tried to free my wader leg which was attached to the leg on which I was trying to balance.

Did I mention I was wearing chest waders?

Eventually, the only way out was with the help of my husband. 

The problem all started because I trusted a foundation I didn’t know. It continued because I was working from a place that wasn’t balanced. It almost ended in disaster if it weren’t for the support of my husband (once he stopped laughing at me, that is).

Setting the Wrong Foundation

The words of the song hit me that day, like a rock you might say. I have been hard at it – too often just busy with much doing. I did and I did and I did, always with the goal of reaching my BIG DREAM goals. I knew where I wanted to go but needed guidance on how to get there.

First, I trusted someone because he said he knew my answer. I stepped into the foundation because I was excited about where it would lead. It only added to the excitement that all of his experience, abilities, and connections seemed to be a shortcut to where I wanted to go.

I bet you heard the sucking sound long before I did. I was knee-deep into the mess before I started trying to work my way out.

Next, I trusted someone because she had success in the area I wanted to pursue. “I could be her.” I believed. I listened to what she said and invested time, money, and energy into following her directives.

Did you hear it that time? Well, I didn’t. Not until I had been sucked into a mess I almost wasn’t able to get out of.

And then . . .

You get the picture? I was putting my trust in the wrong foundations when all along the right foundation was literally under my nose.

Setting a Foundation of Trust

A few months back, I turned my attention to the Word and to what God was saying about my journey. Sometimes, in these days of high-tech and modern living, it can be a challenge to see the directions for my journey in the Word. But that’s on me, not Him. He’s made it simple. Have a relationship with God and God works out the rest. 

That really is the lesson that runs repeatedly throughout Scripture, but that doesn’t mean I always choose to see it. 

When I turned my attention to the Word and began to hold up my situation to that Word, I shifted my focus to God. The more my focus remained on God, the more solid my foundation of trust grew.

I settled into this new place of solid rock foundation of trust, and it gave me the traction to move. The more I inched toward my BIG DREAM goals and living out my unique purpose, the more the whole world seemed to turn against me.

But the foundation of trust in God and in the promises of His Word remained my focus. I continued to do what I knew I was supposed to do despite the craziness of everything around me. Progress was happening, little by little and inch by inch, as long as I maintained my focus.

Living on a Foundation of Trust

I still get caught up in those “busy with much doing moments.” I get lots done, but none of it moves me closer to the BIG DREAM goals and almost all of it remains outside my purpose. But now that I have a foundation of trust, it’s easier to correct my course.

The Rock is my anchor, my balance point. Much like the pitchfork and then my husband when I was stuck in the sand, the Rock provides the assistance I need to get unstuck in those moments. I have learned the difference between running uphill in the sand and making progress. The foundation makes the difference. 

The more I continue to invest in God and in His Word, the stronger the foundation of trust will grow.

Where is your trust today?

Are you looking to build a firm foundation of trust on the Rock?

90 Days through the Bible offers daily Scipture readings and prompts to help you set your solid foundation. Purchase your print copy on Amazon or a downloadable copy HERE today.