Living in the Both/And: False Security and Sacred Trust

by Lori Wilson

Earlier this year, I became a victim of fraud. Despite doing everything I could to mitigate the damage, I was left feeling profoundly vulnerable—like an island open to attack, unprotected and exposed. The discomfort was unsettling in ways I hadn't expected.

This week, as I sat with a colleague in our building, we felt the earth move beneath us—an earthquake rippling through the East Coast, followed by an aftershock days later. In that moment of unexpected trembling, something shifted in my awareness.

Later, as I reflected on these two experiences, a realization emerged: I live with a false sense of security that permeates much of my daily existence. I assume I'm safe from cyber fraud. I presume the tectonic plates beneath my feet will remain still. I move through life with the expectation that things will go just fine—that my family, my children and grandchildren, my loved ones will stay healthy and free from pain or anxiety.

And yet, I also carry a deeper knowing. In the long run, when we all transition from this life, we will be fine. We will be welcomed home by our loving God.

This is the both/and space where I find myself dwelling. I am genuinely concerned about the here and now, while simultaneously holding confidence in what lies beyond this life. I can worry about the things I do know about—a broken bone, a heart condition, having to move. And I remain completely oblivious to other possibilities that lurk beyond my awareness—like an earthquake striking without warning, or walking into a government office for routine paperwork only to be arrested.

We live in this paradoxical space in so many areas of our lives: simultaneously experiencing false security and unknown potential danger. When these moments of clarity arise, I find myself inviting God to stay with me, because they seem almost too much to hold. My brain wants to say no—it's too complicated.

And yet, life is both complicated and relatively simple.

My call remains clear: to discover and reveal God's heart in this world and to help those I meet feel seen, known, and loved. That's the simple part. That's what I choose to stay focused on, even when the ground beneath my feet—literally or figuratively—begins to shake.

Reflection Questions

For Personal Contemplation:

• Where do you notice false security operating in your own life? What assumptions about safety or predictability do you carry?

• How do you hold the tension between caring for the present moment and trusting in God's larger plan? What helps you navigate this both/and space?

• When have unexpected disruptions—whether external events or internal shifts—revealed something important about your relationship with control and trust?

For Deeper Exploration:

• How does your awareness of life's fragility change the way you engage with daily concerns and relationships?

• In what ways might God be inviting you to find simplicity within complexity? What is your "simple part" to focus on?

• How do you experience God's presence when life feels "too much to hold"? What practices or prayers support you in these moments?