- Waypoint Church
'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Updated: May 25, 2021
Written by Danny Castiglione
By January of my senior year of high school, all my plans were falling into place. I was headed to my dream college. I was a class officer. I was in the National Honor Society. I was going to be the starting left fielder on our high school baseball team. I had the respect of my teachers. I had a car and a job. I had lots of friends. The people at church thought I was a model teenager. Life was good. Then by March, things started to unravel. Some of the other seniors on the baseball team and I had a falling out with our coach over an ethical disagreement, and we all made the hard decision to quit the team. I loved playing baseball, and a lot of my identity was wrapped up in being a decent outfielder who rarely struck out. Every winter and spring afternoon, since sixth grade, was consumed by baseball, and then one day our team was playing a game, and I was not out there.
I was devastated, I started questioning everything. My identity was in popularity, achievements, and what other people thought of me. I went to church two to three times a week, but Jesus was an afterthought all week for me. He was just a check box of all my other perceived achievements and accomplishments.
One of those lonely afternoons with no baseball and time to reflect, I encountered Jesus. I had always known He was with me since I was a child, but on that day, Jesus came to me and His Holy Spirit overwhelmed me in my loneliness and despair. I realized that in all my “achievements” I never gave God the glory. I was completely selfish, living for my own glory. Jesus had given me everything, and I was choosing to ignore Him and live each week as if His grace, that saved me and set me free from sin and death and gave me hope and true life, did not matter.
Sometime earlier, when I was on a spiritual high (probably after summer camp), I had made a mix tape with some Christian songs that I liked. Providentially, I noticed that tape and put it in the player in my ’74 VW Beetle. As I drove to the store that afternoon, the song that came on was Amy Grant’s version of “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.”
I pulled over in the parking lot and listened and wept. I rewound the tape and listened again and again. Tears were flowing down my cheeks, as I lifted my hands to heaven and truly praised Jesus for the first time in a long time. That day Jesus met me and reminded me that my life was not my own; I was bought with a price and raised to new life with Him. Jesus gave me back the life I was meant to live and the joy I thought that my achievements would bring me. All those things were not necessarily bad, but they became my idols and my identity. The Holy Spirit was showing me how to reorder my life and trust Jesus with all areas of life, that He was my identity.
Since that day, there have been many highs and many lows, but Jesus has always been faithful to meet me, redirect me, and remind me that I can always trust Him and that He is my savior and friend.
'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord!"
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him over and over Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
I'm so glad I learned to trust Him, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend And I know that He is with me, Will be with me to the end.
Here is a link to the song:
