The Beauty of Trust by Sharon Heagy

"Get it! Kill it! Stomp on it! Hit it with a hammer! I'm not coming in until you get rid of it!" These words, uttered by many a human being have ordered the demise of what are considered to be ugly, hideous and grotesque vermin and insects. Yet ask a rodentologist or entomologist about these same creatures and they will wax eloquent on the beauty and benefits of said creatures. 

Spiders seem to hold a high rank regarding striking fear into the hearts of men, with mice holding a close second. While it may seem irrational to be filled with overwhelming anxiety by something smaller than the sole of one's foot, these fears can be deep-seated to those who experience them. But maybe as writers we can help to calm the fears of children and adults and help our fellow life pilgrims by dispelling fears before they start. Maybe.

Author E.B White's classic Charlotte's Web created an unlikely relationship between a spider named Charlotte, a runt pig named Wilbur and a young girl named Fern. Charlotte herself was a spinner of words which she placed intricately into her webs. Those kind words end up saving Wilbur.'s life.  This endearing tale of friendship, loyalty, trust and sacrifice perhaps mellows our viewpoint about both pigs and spiders, though not everyone would agree. 

Disney took the classic folktale Cinderella and used the same anthropomorphic tools as mice became Cinderella's companions and helped save the day when the wicked stepsisters ruined her gown for the ball. How can one dislike mice after that?  (Already I hear the naysayers who will never believe there is any good mouse except a dead mouse. Some of them are part of my wonderful family.) But Cinderella could trust the mice to come to her aid. 

The film Ratatouille penned and directed by Brad Bird, with input from Jan Pinkauq and Jim Capobianco, tells the tall tale of a rat who has a refined palate and an ability to cook food comparable to the best chefs in Paris. Remy the rat directs the hands of Linguini, his human partner, through a series of signals as he sits beneath Linguini's chef's hat. Remy trusts Linguini to put the right ingredients into the pot and Linguini trusts the rat's directions. Even though rats are pretty intelligent beings and got a bit of a bad rap regarding the spread of the plague, they still do spread disease and I certainly would not want one in my kitchen, or anywhere near my house and definitely not under my hat!

If we can't trust fictional animals or animated furry friends, who can we trust? What about real animals? There are abundant stories of animals who save their owners. Horses hitched to a wagon who find the way home in a blizzard when the owner can't see and drops the reins letting the horses take the lead. A friend of ours was rescued twice by his dog as he fought to save his fishing camp in a forest fire last year. Twice, when he was overcome by smoke, couldn't see and was at his limit, he grabbed the tail of his yellow lab, told her to take him to the truck up on the main road and she did, saving his life. But can we trust animals all the time? Horses can freeze and dogs can be overcome by the same smoky fires as us.

One of the most beautiful pictures of trust I have ever seen comes from the picture at the top of the page. A couple of weeks ago at church this little fellow slept in his mother's arms for the whole sermon. Watching him flip and flop, changing position from time to time was an illustration of absolute trust. He had no fear and did not wake knowing his mom would not drop him, nor leave him, nor abandon him. No matter how he moved, from laying on her arm to her shoulder, to her other shoulder and back down to a prone position in his mom's loving care, he never even flinched. To me, it was a picture of how we are to trust in God. No matter how we move and change direction, going ahead, falling behind, His arms are there to guide us back to His path, to His hands, to His love, grace and mercy and we can trust Him completely without flinching.  He will never "leave us or forsake us" says the writer of Hebrews 13:5. Jesus, quoted in the same book, Hebrews 2:13 states, "I will put my trust in Him." And He did even to the cross. What an example of beautiful trust He gave us. May we follow His lead in our lives and in our writing. As He guides our words we will create pieces of beauty beyond ourselves. We just have to trust Him and let go.

Sharon Heagy writes from the wonderful town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan, where she lives with her husband, a big dog and furry cats. She writes to bring hope and humour to a world that needs both. She can be reached at sharonheagy@gmail.com 


Thanks for taking the time to visit today. God bless.