It’s a Thin Line Between Love and Trust

John 21:17 — The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

God has a way of getting our attention — and He got mine this morning.

Last night, I was talking to my daughter about trusting God. During that conversation, I shared something God told me years ago:

“You don’t trust Me.”

Like Simon Peter, I was shocked — and honestly, a little upset — that God would even suggest such a thing.

“God, what do you mean? Of course, I trust You!” I argued.

But what God understood — just like He understood when He called Peter out, using his government name — was that Peter loved Him deeply, but he didn’t fully trust Him. And that was true for me too. That’s exactly what I was trying to explain to my daughter.

When Love Isn’t Trust

At the time, I was going through one of the hardest seasons of my life. I had just moved back to Virginia from Boston. I left behind a good job and steady income, returning home with no job and no clear plan.

My sister and I both felt that God was leading us back home, so we packed up, rented a big, beautiful house, got a truck, and — like Thelma and Louise — hit the road for a new beginning.

Once we got here, I started driving for Uber while my sister began working from home. Massachusetts gave me $1,000 tax-free unemployment dollars weekly to use in Virginia. It seemed like things were going to work out just fine.

But they didn’t.

We had overreached — our goals, not God’s goals. My unemployment benefits, which I thought would last a year, ended after six months. My sister quietly lost her job and didn’t have the funds to keep up with rent. When everything fell apart, she couldn’t bring herself to tell me — and I was furious. But looking back, I understand now why she couldn’t face me.

Suddenly, I was penniless. No job. No plan. No home. For the first time in my life, I had nowhere to go and no way to fix it.

The irony? I ended up moving in with my daughter — into the very home I had left behind when I moved to Boston. She and her partner welcomed me in while I tried to get back on my feet. It was humbling, to say the least.

The Breaking Point

One morning, I woke up in a full-blown panic. I was depressed, hopeless, and angry at God. I had applied to so many jobs — nothing. Even my old job kept telling me, “We don’t have anything right now.”

That morning, I drove to the library, parked, and broke down completely. I screamed and cried, shouting at God:

“Why are You doing this to me? Why am I going backward? I can’t take this anymore! I have nothing — no home, no money, no marriage, no life!”

God let me vent for a good 30 minutes. Then, in a quiet, steady voice, He said:

“You don’t trust Me.”

I snapped back, “I do trust You — but look what’s happening!”

Again, He said, “You don’t trust Me.”

“Yes, I do,” I argued. “But I’ve lost everything!”

Then He spoke firmly — and lovingly:

“You don’t trust Me. You trust your job. You trust your bank account. You trust that house you lived in. You even trusted that man you were with. But you don’t trust Me.”

His words stopped me cold. I grew quiet, ashamed, and tearful because He was right. I didn’t trust Him. I didn’t believe He could bring me through that season. I wanted Him to fix everything quickly — to restore what I’d lost — but I didn’t want to wait on His plan.

So I repented. I confessed that I didn’t know how to trust Him and asked Him to teach me. I told Him I was tired of carrying everything on my own — for myself and everyone else — and I needed His help.

God’s Gentle Correction

Before answering my prayer, God lovingly reminded me:

• I never told you to rent that big house.

• You didn’t plan or save wisely.

• You spent that money like it would never run out.

• And moving in with your daughter — that was Me teaching you humility.

He wanted me to understand that I was not anyone’s savior — not even my own.

After what felt like 30 more minutes of divine correction, He gave me a test.

“Call your old job back — right now.”

I hesitated, “Lord, I just called them yesterday. They said they didn’t have anything.”

Still, I obeyed.

When the woman answered, she said, “It must be your lucky day! I just got an opening this morning. When can you start?”

Not, “When can you come for an interview?” — but “When can you start?”

Right there, in my car, I lifted my hands and surrendered. “Okay, Father. I get it.”

God told me I’d have my own apartment within 60 days — and He kept His promise. He restored what I had lost. And though He’s had to remind me again since then, that day was the beginning of truly learning what it means to trust Him.

Love vs. Trust

Fast forward to today. After my conversation with my daughter about trusting God, He gave me a new revelation this morning.

God said:

“When I asked Peter three times if he loved Me, he didn’t understand what I was really saying. I already knew Peter loved Me — but he didn’t trust Me. He loved who I was. He loved what I did. He loved what he saw Me do. But when it really counted, he didn’t trust that I was who I said I was.”

And then God said something that shook me:

“It’s a thin line between love and trust.”

Wow.