Trust in God for Something

“‘Your resources may be limited,’ Father Ibañez said, ‘but you have to trust in God for something.’” Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)

Every week Teresa’s story speaks to me and gives me courage to keep doing the work God asks me to do.

In The Book of My Life, Teresa writes about founding St. Joseph’s, a monastery for cloistered women. She believed God gave her the vision to start the monastery; however, she did not have the funding to make it happen. Teresa’s advisor, Father Ibañez, encouraged her to follow her instincts by saying—“Your resources may be limited, but you have to trust in God for something.”

You have to trust in God for something. Those words resonate with me. Do they resonate with you? What are you trusting in God for today?

There are many things on my list, but the one most like Teresa’s monastery is a building project happening in Duluth for children who suffer from mental illness. Just like Teresa, I do not have the funding to make the project happen but I do have belief that God is in charge and wants me to work for the project’s completion.

In 1997 when our daughter Rebecca was only eleven years old, she was diagnosed with depression. Those dark February days were made even darker when Brad and I learned that the waiting list to see a child psychiatrist was three months long. At the time, Rebecca was unable to sleep and she was so full of anxiety caused by her suicidal thoughts that she could not eat. Through no fault of her own—bad genetic history was the culprit—our little girl was intensely suffering, and we found ourselves in a medical system that was too overburdened to offer immediate support.

Rebecca’s story has a happy ending because she was eventually—sooner than three months, thanks to some helpful friends—able to access specialized medical care of the highest quality. In the last thirteen years, Rebecca has learned to live with her illness and move herself toward greater independence, health and happiness. Now twenty-four years old, she studies hard, works hard, travels internationally and cooks better than I do. On May 22 of this year she graduated with a master’s degree in social work from St. Catherine’s University, and she is now looking for full time employment. Her father and I are so proud of her!

Brad and I believe strongly that more mental health facilities and services are needed for families. It probably goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Three months is too long to wait with a suffering child for specialized medical attention. These days the child psychiatrist waiting list is still three months long or longer in Duluth because our community does not have enough physical resources and personnel to provide immediate care as needed.

The Duluth building project will put an end to the three-month waiting list for the mentally ill children, adolescents and young adults of the area. Brad and I are working to fund one of the family kitchen/lounges. It is a $75,000 undertaking, and we are 43% of the way to our goal with 50 gifts totaling $32,296. I am looking forward to the day when the mental health building is a reality and all of our kitchen helpers are eating cookies in that beautiful place. I plan to sprinkle a few cookie crumbs on the floor to bless the building! I’ll also look up to the ceiling and say a silent prayer to the One We Trust who makes all things possible.

Teresa writes, “So although I was aware that we had almost no money, I believed the Lord would help us and arrange other ways for us to thrive.” God helps us thrive no matter what our weakness, and we can trust in God’s love and kindness every day of our lives.