“Trust me……” We’ve all heard these two words, accompanied by a phrase that connects them to the situation at hand. A frequent example is, “…everything will be all right,” when one is facing a difficult moment in life. Trust is a bit like faith in the sense that it’s only as good as the person or thing in which we place that trust (or faith). Let’s explore trust a bit more.
Trust in Relationships
In the must less distant past, “trust falls” were common in the business world as team building exercises. One usually stands, arms folded across the chest and falls stiffly backwards, “trusting” his team mates to catch him before hitting the ground. What’s understood in these situations is that there is usually already a relationship established among the participants. Without some preexisting level of trust, I doubt these exercises would get much traction. I think one can safely generalize that a prerequisite for trust is an existing relationship and/or experience with that which is being trusted. Complete strangers are unlikely to have much trust in each other.
Why is a preexisting relationship so important to trust? Are there certain relational elements that foster trust? Typically, in the course of a relationship, an expression of values or morals, will develop. That insight into one’s worldview for standards of right and wrong would either reinforce or diminish trust. Integrity should also help one establish trust. Integrity is the result of a match between one’s values and actions. Without examples of integrity, there is not much chance to establish trust. A good person with integrity can be trusted to be good, while an evil person with integrity can be trusted to be evil. There is a potential price associated with trusting someone – similar worldviews can lessen the cost. Ultimately, trials will test the value of those relationships.
Trust in Things
Are we then left in some hopeless (limbo) in needing or wanting to trust in someone or something? “Who are you going to trust?” Here, we’re looking at a mixed bag. Sixty years ago, “You Bet Your Life” seemed fairly harmless, at least in the hands of Groucho Marx. Not so much with some of today’s technology – witness the recent air bag debacle – or with the effects (some yet unknown) of our declining culture. Today, our culture is telling us to trust it and we’ll be okay. What’s not explicit in that message, is acquiescence to our souls being reshaped by today’s ever-changing norms.
Currently, many of us will be faced with the consequences of trusting well. Just look at the apparent choice of either (1) continued freedom and free markets, or (2) increased government ownership and control, in the upcoming USA elections. I assume this issue is not unique to America – even with an honest electoral process. As with relationships, trusting in something, like a party platform, requires reliable data with which to make an informed decision. Unfortunately, our old, reliable TV “evening news” is gone. Walter Cronkite, “the most trusted man in America” was one of the last, great news reporters of my time. Since Cronkite’s era, the “news” has devolved into the “evening editorials,” regardless of how the networks try to flavor it. We are left, then, with the difficult task of assessing the duration and severity of the outcomes associated with the decisions we have to make.
At the root of the problem with trust are standards (worldviews) and people’s willingness to adhere to them. Another Marx, Karl, had solutions, but willingness was not an option in those societies. If standards are relative, so will be trust. Perhaps, in the case of individuals, the more their worldviews align, the greater is the likelihood that they will trust in each other. The analogy with trusting some product or entity is clear – try to find and read or listen to trusted reviews! With either case, people or products, due diligence is essential in assessing whether or not to be trusting.
Our currency (USA) still states, “In God we Trust.” This wording originates from a time in our history when the God of the Bible was the standard for both our laws and the behaviors of most of our population – today, not so much. Insurance companies have generated fortunes based on the lack of trust in our fellow man and/or his devices. But that’s not all – in their actuarial tables, life insurance companies have assigned a monetary value to each of us, regardless of one’s circumstances. Those values can be used by them and us, in a variety of ways, if we’ll only trust them, instead of each other. One may muse, “I’m not even sure about trusting my neighbor, yet alone corporations with the biggest buildings in the skyline. To them, I’m just a bunch of dollar signs.” What does my neighbor think of me? That should not be, it cannot be, a total mystery if we are to have peace and trust.
Trust in God
The good news is that life assurance is available. Moreover, it’s freely obtained from the Creator of our universe. The One who offers life assurance, gave His life that we might trust Him. That’s more than a good bet – it’s a wise investment, yielding an eternal life of rest, hope, peace, and joy. That eternal life begins to unfold the moment that this decision of trust is made – growing as one gets closer to Him.
Ultimately, the One who is really in control, who has a plan for His Creation and everyone in it, will have His way. That’s where my trust falls. He expects me to exercise due diligence and good stewardship in the choices I can make, while trusting Him with those I cannot. Examine onto what path your worldview is leading you. Ask yourself questions like: “Is this where I want to go? What will be my destiny/ destination? Who can help me change it?” He can!
