Maintaining Trust

It's really difficult to estimate, perhaps overestimate, the importance of trust. It is a common, prevalent, ongoing necessity. Your children trust you to provide for them. Your wife trusts you to love her. Your employer trusts you to show up and work. The store trusts that the check you write or the debit card you use will actually provide them payment for what you just bought. And on and on and on. Conversely, the lack of trust is equally common, prevalent, and ongoing. They make you sign your name on the check because some people haven't been trustworthy. They have a PIN for that debit card because someone could steal it and use it. The amount of time, energy, and money that goes into fraud and crime prevention is astounding ... because too many people aren't trustworthy. Trust is important. And we all know it.

So why is it that we so often seem to care so little for it? Think about it. Do we routinely do things that bolster trust or erode it? At home are you the guy that your wife thinks will be right there to help her out or are you the type that waits to be asked? Do your children anticipate that you will be spending time with them tonight or will they have to intrude on your television watching? Are you the kind of person about whom those who know you would say, "If he/she promises 'for better or for worse', he/she will keep that promise ... for better or for worse"? Are you the kind of person the neighbors rely on or are they unlikely to ask when they need help? Do you cheat on your taxes? Your spouse (either directly or indirectly)? Your boss? (You know, like when you have work to do but put it off for something more fun or when you think that it can't hurt to take a few office supplies for home use or you take a longer lunch break but only count it as the shorter time ... that kind of thing.) Are you the person about whom God will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

Trust is an essential part of life. And we all want to be trusted. In fact, we're likely offended if someone questions our reliability in something. But how often are we living lives that deny our untrustworthiness? If you were accused of being too reliable, too honest, too trustworthy, would there be enough evidence to convict you?