For years, I thought the answer was simple.

People struggle to trust God because they don’t know Him.

While there is truth in that, I don’t believe that’s the whole story anymore.

The more people I talk to, the more I realize many people aren’t rejecting God.

They’re responding to the version of God they learned through their experiences.

If your father was absent, God may feel distant.

If love was conditional, God may feel impossible to please.

If you were rejected, God may feel disappointed in you.

If you were abused, God may feel unsafe.

If you grew up in chaos, peace may feel unfamiliar.

Many of us don’t approach God with a blank slate.

We approach Him through the lens of our experiences.

This is why two people can read the same Bible, hear the same sermon, and walk away with completely different understandings of God.

They’re filtering truth through different lenses.

I know because I lived it.

I had a broken relationship with my father.

I watched unhealthy relationships.

I experienced abuse.

I learned to perform for love.

I learned to survive.

And although I loved God, many of those experiences shaped how I saw Him, myself, and others.

For years, I couldn’t understand why certain patterns kept repeating in my life.

I prayed.

I read my Bible.

I went to church.

Yet some struggles remained.

Why?

Because information alone doesn’t transform us.

Awareness creates the opportunity for transformation.

The moment I began examining what shaped me, I started understanding why I thought the way I thought, felt the way I felt, and responded the way I responded.

That’s when healing began.

Not because God wasn’t working before.

But because I finally became aware of what needed to be brought before Him.

Many people are trying to grow spiritually while carrying wounds they haven’t identified.

They are trying to trust God while viewing Him through the lens of abandonment.

Trying to receive love through the lens of rejection.

Trying to walk in freedom while still operating from survival.

The issue isn’t that God is unwilling to help.

The issue is that we often don’t understand what we’re bringing into the relationship.

This is why I talk so much about beliefs, behaviors, and outcomes.

Because what we believe influences how we perceive.

How we perceive influences how we respond.

And how we respond influences the outcomes we experience.

Experience → Belief → Perception → Behavior → Outcome

The good news is that God meets us right there.

Not after we’re healed.

Not after we’re perfect.

Not after we’ve figured everything out.

Right there.

In the middle of the confusion.

In the middle of the grief.

In the middle of the questions.

Healing and discipleship are not enemies.

They work together.

Because sometimes the first step toward trusting God isn’t learning something new about Him.

It’s uncovering what has been preventing you from seeing Him clearly all along.

Reflection Prompt:

What experiences in your life have most influenced how you view God, yourself, or other people?

Continue Your Journey

The Power of One Assessment is designed to help you examine the beliefs, emotions, relationships, habits, and outcomes shaping your life.

Take the assessment, reflect on your results, and identify areas where growth may be needed.

Start Here:

• Complete the Power of One Assessment
• Download the Thought to Behavior Workbook
• Work through the reflection exercises
• Complete the Post-Assessment
• Request a complimentary review if desired

Transformation begins with awareness.

One Thought. One Choice. One Response. One Day at a Time.

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