Trust


Scott Ragle

Recently, a few creative individuals played a hoax on some of the people that live in my hometown of Ackerly, TX. Some pranksters created a sign that indicated that there would be a Wal-Mart built across from our local Café to be opened in the summer of 2009. Ackerly is a town of 245 people. It has one school building, a cotton gin, a Café, and a Post Office; so, the prospects of having a Wal-Mart built in our town are very slim. Nevertheless, some people believed this hoax and immediately started celebrating. I have chosen to believe that those people that fell for this prank were not simply very gullible people that lacked reasoning but, rather, very trusting people possessing a characteristic that every one of us should have.


Trust is a very important part of all types of relationships. As a schoolteacher and parent, I realize that parents trust the administrators at their children’s school to hire competent teachers to teach their children. Administrators trust the teachers to teach the required curriculum that is mandated by the state. Furthermore, students trust their parents to provide for them and nurture them throughout their formative years. How much you can trust a person, whether it is your teacher, parent, or other family member, is determined by how open and healthy your relationship has been with that person in the past.


The psalmist wrote in Psalms 37:3-5, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”


As humans, we sometimes find it is easier to believe the glass is half empty and not half full. We find it is easier to expect the worst in people and not “trust” that they will do what they are supposed to do because others have disappointed us before. We can always trust in the Lord and should always be able to trust in our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 John 4: 12 tells us to love our brother whom we have seen. This means we are to trust him, as well.


Trust is a two-way street: you get it if you give it. If children want the trust of their parents, they must trust their parents with the truth about what is going on in their lives. If you want a relationship built on trust, you have to trust in the other person as much as you do in yourself. Parents will usually give trust freely until their children do something to break it. Then children must start over and gain that trust again.


Sometimes people do not trust you because of the actions of a person close to you. Prove them wrong by doing right! Trust has to be earned. If you had trust but did something to lose it, it is possible to fix things but, in doing so, remember that, as the trust breaker, you do not get to set the expectations, terms, or time frame for earning that trust back. All you can do is work at earning that trust back and wait patiently.


Trust is a very important part of all types of relationships. How much you can trust a person, whether it is your family, a friend, or a teacher, is determined by how open and healthy your relationship with that person is. Trust is an essential part of all good relationships. Trust, in a practical sense, means that you place confidence in someone to be honest and faithful to you, to keep his or her promises, and not to abandon you. Trusting another person requires a realistic perspective about people and expectations of failure. 


1 John 4:18 and 19 tell us that we should have no fear because of the love that God first gave to us. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us.” God has always done exactly as he said he would. Therefore, we should trust that he will continue to do so and live our lives as determined workers in his vineyard, not worrying about tomorrow, shelter, clothing, or what we will eat. (Matthew 6:31)


We will probably disappoint many people in our lifetime. We can work hard never to say something hurtful, never tell a lie, never exaggerate, and always keep our promises; but, since we are human, we will make mistakes. However, if we trust in the Lord and do our best to obey, all creation will see that the way we have chosen is right, because someday God will declare us righteous. God will give us the desires of our heart, not just for a season, but forever. (Psalms 37:3-5) And that we can trust in! -PO Box 145, Ackerly, TX 79713.


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