What is trust?
The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary indicates that trust is to place confidence or rely on. So when you trust a person, essentially you place confidence in them or you rely on them. But it still has many different implications.
You can trust a person, for instance, not to totally destroy your laptop when they take it to the library to use wireless internet. (Apparently, Charming does not trust me in this matter.) Or, for example, you can trust a person not to hurt your feelings. You trust people not to steal from you or lie to you. You trust people with your children. Your trust people with your secrets and your vulnerabilities. You trust the valet when you leave him with your expensive car, (though maybe you shouldn't, lest you have a Ferris Bueller like experience).
My point is, there are so many facets of trust. We use the word in so many different ways that mean so much more than just "place confidence." What does it really mean when you tell someone, "I trust you."
I trust Charming, for example, to provide for our family. I trust that he will do what he can to protect my body and soul from harm. I trust him to love me and not hurt me. I cannot trust him, however, to clean the house while I am gone, or do chores unless I ask him, or be on time, necessarily-- based mostly on past experiences.
I trust my mother to be supportive of me, but I can't always trust that she will not get her feelings hurt by something that I do. I can trust her with my feelings, but not necessarily my secrets.
I trust my father to assist me should I call on him for help, but I cannot necessarily trust him with my feelings. I trust him to love me, but don't trust that when we're together we won't argue.
And the thing about trusting another person, is there are so few we can trust completely for everything. Really the only person we can trust in with our whole souls is God. And though I didn't intend for this to be a religiousy post, who else is there? I don't even trust myself entirely. And yet I can trust that the Lord is perfect and makes no mistakes. I can trust that if something bad goes on in my life, that He will be there for me, without condemning me or making me feel dumb.
Isn't that a good feeling?
Any thoughts on trust that you'd like to share?
3 comments:
you said it much better than i could have; and a much more interesting thought about trusting god even more than we trust ourselves.
My husband made a statement about this last night that sometimes we base our trust towards people based on how much time they invest in us. That was a long and involved conversation but I wanted to share that.
I would have to agree that trusting in God is the simplist. All other aspects of trust that you mention really involve emotion as well. Like your husband not trusting you to take his computer to the library, I think he has a strong emotional attachment to that computer. I trust that you will always love me even though I am not good at keeping secrets.
Love, MOM
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