Trust

Life was simple in the small paper mill town where I grew up in the 1940s and 50s. Trusting others was second nature, and relationships were easy. But God never told us to trust people—we are to love people and trust God. Know the difference, because your joy depends on it. Tears are the truest connection we have with each other, and trust is the truest connection we have with God.

We feel trust. Emotions associated with trust include companionship, friendship, love, agreement, relaxation, and comfort. It’s a very brave thing to fall in love. You have to be willing to trust somebody else with your whole being, and that’s very difficult!

Here’s one of several ways we can define trust: Trust means being able to predict what other people will do and what situations will occur. If we can surround ourselves with people we trust, then we can create a safe present and an even better future. Trust is also trading our will for God’s will.

Faith is to Godly living what trust is to our relationships. It is the beginning place—the foundation upon which more can be built. Love flourishes when there is trust. We’re never more vulnerable than when we trust someone—but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy.

Love is magic; it’s about trust and understanding. It’s putting the other person before yourself. Indifference is expensive. Hostility is unaffordable. Trust is priceless. It’s all about relationships. The more trust that exists in a relationship, the more you look out for each other.

Most people proudly state, “Relationships are key.” However, if one digs under the surface, the understanding of a relationship is often fairly superficial. The strength of a relationship is about quality, not quantity. Social media is an excellent way of increasing the number of relationships, but few social platforms measure how much two people actually trust each other.

The “Trust Equation” offers a good, simple way to consider the strength of relationships:
Trustworthiness = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy ÷ Self-orientation

• Credibility is expertise.
• Reliability is doing what we said we would do.
• Intimacy is the extent to which we show we care about the other person.
• Self-orientation is how much we focus on ourselves and our own needs.

Most of us excel in credibility. Many believe reliability has dipped. Intimacy is generally the key missing ingredient—yet self-orientation is also a major issue.