In God We Trust
A Journal Entry by: OSEI, Andrew
Saturday, May 31, 2025, 1:40 AM
On the American dollar bill, there is the insignia of the pyramid with the eye of enlightenment at the pinnacle and right above the typography denoting it as the one-dollar bill, it says, “In God we trust”. Whether America is a country that embodies this motto is not the point of contention in this journal entry. It is, however, going to discuss trust and God or the Trust in God. I normally write to process things and come to a solid conclusion on matters I deem pressing, which is predominantly through circumstance. I barely write for creative expression because, frankly, my best pieces of writing come from a place of dire need. Journaling is a form of prayer for me; I find it awkward to talk to an invisible God, be it out loud or in my head. Something about writing a letter in the form of a journal and dedicating it to my heavenly father seems more authentic. Trust me.
So here we are with me asking you to trust me. Some people have trust issues, and others trust too easily. I’m somewhere in the middle. I start everyone at 50 percent and wait for their stock to rise or fall. It's a free game in my books, sort of like the credit score system. It’s difficult to take this approach with God. When I invoke “God,” I speak solely of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph, also known as the God of the Bible. Now that we’re clear, I want to examine myself when it comes to my approach to God. I view God as more of a concept in the intellectual dimension, something to be revered and studied through scripture and academia. I know he exists, and I do my best to follow his teachings and align myself with his will. Why? It is because, from my experience, following God’s commandments and living a “Christ-like” life comes with a lot of blessings and helps one in living harmoniously with others. In short, it has helped me steer clear of the unnecessary struggle and pain that disobedience brings.
The question I ask myself now is, do I trust in this God? Is my motivation to live a Christ-like life merely to reap the benefits of towing the line? That is the question of the century, which will hopefully be answered by the end of this entry. In the meantime, let me tell you a story. It is summer 2025 presently, and we’re coming out of a pretty dry winter. Business was not great at all. It is another busy summer, as that is the time most companies need promotion for their products or services. Out of nowhere, I get a call from my business partner that he is out with a leg injury. My first reaction was out of a place of concern for my partner. As we were conversing, it started to dawn on me that I would have to step into the role of production coordinator, which I am not good at. As per usual, being the extrovert that I am, I started to reach out to others for advice. In most cases, that helps as I just need a perspective adjustment, and I am on my way. However, in this particular situation, I could only talk to God through prayer.
As stated in the introduction of this entry, to me, God is a concept to be explored, studied through his word and revered. To think of God as transcendent makes a lot of sense. The hard work is making him personal. Assuming I were to make him a personal relationship, would I treat him like other personal relationships and start him at 50 percent? Again, from my studies of scripture, the Christian God is very demanding, but the demands come with covenants. To paraphrase the book of Proverbs 3:5-6, God wants us to trust in him with all our hearts and all our minds and that we shouldn't lean on our knowledge or understanding, but should acknowledge him and submit to him in all our ways, and he will make our paths straight. So, Christian God wants 100 percent trust? You can’t simply bring 50 to the table, and he brings the remainder. Trust is an action word, and it requires an element of vulnerability.
If I am honest with myself, I lean on my understanding a lot. I rarely cast my worries to God because I don’t like going to the big Man asking him to fill my piggy bank and granting my wishes. He provides for me abundantly and has blessed me with numerous talents and abilities that I feel like he’s equipped me to fight my battles, although I know deep down that he is always with me. Some people make a circus with long-form prayers, while others say quick prayers under their breath. I journal. Who's to say that’s not prayer? I have always been different, and that’s not changing anytime soon.
After all that running around. I circle back to the million-dollar question. Does Andrew trust in the Lord God Almighty? Let’s make it more fun and reframe the question to what’s the Lord’s credit score in the Bank of Andrew. Well, without a doubt, I would say God in my bank has a perfect score, and he can pull out a loan anytime he wants, instant preapproval. He’s done a lot for me, gotten me out of some sticky situations, and given me the breath to tell the stories. I am grateful to God and the relationships He helped me build. Although my business partner is on the sidelines, I have a solid team that believes in me. At the end of the day, we can do what we can to deliver and trust that God handles the rest.
