Confusion: Result of Unbelief
He who trusts in God will not be confused. So if you are confused it will be a sign that you do not trust. (OCL, III, 601, p. 126)
St. Vincent Pallotti is a person of trust. According to him, confusion is the result of unbelief. A person who constantly trusts in God will not find any situation in his life confusing, for confusion is the sign of lack of trust. In order to clarify this point further, St. Vincent considers the meaning of the phrase “trust in God.” It consists of a person having confidence in God. In trusting God, a person believes in him, places his faith in him, and relies on him. Trust in God calls for a dependence on God. When a person trusts in God, he experiences God as his assurance. A person’s trust in God affirms him, strengthens him, and helps him to have a feeling that he is firmly placed in God’s hands. As a result, in trusting, a person is able to confide his problems, troubles, and difficulties in God. Finally, when a person trusts God, he esteems God as the one to whom he can turn in every situation. For St. Vincent, when a person trusts in God he feels secure, as he experiences God as his stronghold. Thus, trust enables a person to experience God as the reliable one, his inner security, and his assurance. When a person experiences God through his trust in God, then there is no reason for him to be confused as to how to handle his life and its everyday situations. Since he experiences God as his inner security and assurance, if any moments of doubt and confusion arise, a person can totally depend on God and surrender the situation to him. In doing so, he will become certain of the next step to be taken. In this way, if a person trusts in God, he can never be confused.
Do I believe that confusion is a sign of unbelief? Do I truly trust in God? Do I accept God as my stronghold? Am I ready to take my situation of doubt and confusion to God in an act of trust, and thereby arrive at a state of clarity?
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. (Acts. 14: 2)