The Crux of Trust

It’s not always easy for us to trust. If we’ve circled the sun more than a decade or two, it’s highly likely that we’ve been lied to, betrayed, tricked, led astray, and rejected by someone for something. Ouch. The realities of being human among others of our kind! We want to be connected. We need to be in relationship. We are not wired to exist entirely independently of others. And when we are at our best, we believe it is a blessed thing to trust. Yet the more often our trust is trampled on, the more difficult it becomes for us to continue to invest it.

And that’s the crux of trust, is it not? It is ours to give, however cautiously or recklessly we do so. The bottom line of it all is that no one can wrangle it out of us. Not a single person. Not a system of persons. Not an entire society of persons. Not a carefully organized organization of persons. We give it or not. We release it or not. Trust is one of the most precious gifts we have at our disposal. It deserves our deepest care.

If we are inclined in the least toward optimism, we hope for the better qualities of which humans are capable. Honesty. Reliability. Integrity. Compassion. Whether in the leaders of businesses that take care of our money or our aging parents or our medical care or our children’s education, we look for indications of trustworthiness that show up consistently. When we insist on consistency, we are more likely to trust. The lyrics of a Stevie Wonder song that surfaced decades ago still ring true today: “Used to be a knight in shining armor didn't have to own a shiny car. Dignity and courage were the measure of a man, not the drugs he needs to hide the scar.” Much in the world has changed since 1982 and yet Wonder’s words drill down to the crux of trust: “Can your teacher read? Does your preacher pray? Does your president have soul? Have you heard a real good ethnic joke today? The kids are wild; we just can't tame 'em. Do we have the right to blame them? We fed them all our indecision…”

If we are inclined in the least toward realism, we know that we cannot expect the better qualities of which humans are capable to be operative in everyone all the time. So, how do we manage this precious gift of trust with which we blessedly live? To whom do we offer it? In what do we invest it? Wonder’s words offer hope: “But I believe that love can save tomorrow. I believe the truth can make us free…”

Honestly, these are the words of Rev. Rebecca Taylor, Pastor, and not an AI-generated post