Many of us have been hurt at some point in our lives or maybe experienced something that has led us to lose trust in people.

Bestselling author Joanna Weaver has been there and says trust issues with people can eventually turn into trust issues with God.


"One way or another, those troubled times can undermine our faith," Weaver explained. "One of the most beautiful things for me was realizing and coming to understand God's love in a deeper way in the dark night of the soul than I think I would've had it just been blessings and sunshine and roses."

Over time, Joanna says the Lord has shown her how we tend to be formula Christians. 

"We think that if I do this and I do that, then God will do this, and there will be blessings, and I'll never struggle. And so when struggles come. When battles come, then one of two things occur to us. Either we're messing up and doing it wrong, or maybe we don't say it consciously, but unconsciously we think there must be something wrong with God."

For Joanna, her lightbulb moment came when she came out of the dark night of the soul to find out she was pregnant at 40 years old.

"I wanted to do good things, but I couldn't get okay with the fact that my life was forever altered. At least in my mind," said Weaver. "I am ashamed to say it. I kept trying to get okay. I kept saying, Lord, my life is not my own. You get to do whatever you want with me. But my flesh woman just kept freaking out."

Somehow through all of this, Joanna says, she never felt loved so completely.

"I think that's the adventure we are invited to with Jesus," said Weaver. "Even in the middle of hardship. Even in the middle of things that seem like Lord, how can this be this can't be right? God wants to meet us. And I think that's where he meets this in the sweetest ways. But we've got to choose to trust him."

Today on Connections, Joanna talks about the importance of trust and the inspiration behind her new book.