Trust Me....

Trust Me.

You’ve uttered those words countless times and probably have no clue what you’re asking someone to agree to. And really, it’s no surprise to me that trust, in many situations, is dispensed so freely. It is a bi-product of a society on the moral decline. Trust now ranks up there with fidelity and integrity. Sadly, they’re all on life-support. Clinging on for dear life to the few people who recognize and value them. Ancient times (really, times before Webster’s provided us with hundred-word definitions) defined trust as covenants made between two people or a person and a higher being. A trusting relationship was one in which there was a mutual allegiance and shared expectation. Now, the word merely references a surface relationship and exchange of information in which no party FULLY understands the level of accountability that they have to the person to whom they’ve spoken the words “Trust me.”

I’m a born again cynic and unfortunately, I have only recently come to the place in my life where I can actually believe the best about people and their intentions, let alone trust them.(God’s working on me). I trust few people in my life but have substantial grounds by which to do so. It’s not to say that there aren’t others in my life that have trustworthy potential. It’s only to suggest that there are few people of whom I have taken such an in depth inventory of. Trust is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of a committed relationship, not the starting point for an acquaintance. Sure the aforementioned notions are contextualized by experience, but even with time and age, this premise has remained.

I was recently doing an impromptu study of a relationship book with my friend Rebecca. The book was called “When Love is in View” It’s a great book. I was especially drawn to the authors’ views on the issue of trust. Considering that the book is about Christian dating, you can imagine what the authors had to say, but the thing that did stick with me was the idea that trust should stretch far and wide in a relationship. We should not compartmentalize our trust. You shouldn’t trust someone to keep a secret if you can’t trust they’d speak up for you if someone was slandering your name. Bottom line, if I trust you, I trust you completely. If I don’t trust you completely, I don’t trust you at all. Shortens the list for you, huh? It’s always interesting to me, when I look at people’s lives, to see who and what they trust. It speaks volumes about their character. I know people who find religion, in all of its different forms, completely absurd but watch Oprah as if it were a televangelist program. They buy everything from hand cream to books because Oprah says “Trust me, it’s great.” And here God is, everyday, saying “Trust me” and those very same people can’t bring themselves to entertain the thought let alone read the book that provides them with proof. Hmmm.

And so I ask you this, how many people’s lives have you inadvertently assumed responsibility for by way of this thing called trust? If the only qualification is having said to them “Trust Me,” there are probably too many to name. And at this point there’s really not much you can do about this laundry list. What you can do it make an effort-a concerted one- to be trustworthy and further, not to put yourself in a situation of trustee in someone’s life unless you are ready for the responsibility. It’s a heavy load to carry, ya know? Well, maybe you don’t. Just trust me on this one. :-)