Trust Defined
- A confidence in the reliability of others.
- A willingness to rely on the actions and integrity of another.
Examples of Trust
- Sharing something deeply personal.
- Sharing information that could be damaging or embarrassing.
- Confiding in someone you believe will keep it confidential.
Can I Trust You?
Parents ask their kids this question. Friends ask their friends. It’s the question we ask when we need help, advice, or a listening ear. “Can I trust you?”
Bearing Burdens
Shouldn’t our personal matters stay private? Are there things that shouldn’t be shared? Just the same, we often feel the need to confide. Are we weak? Shouldn’t we be mentally/emotionally strong enough to just handle it ourselves, keep it inside?
What Paul Said
Paul encouraged believers to carry one another’s burdens. I like that idea.
But remember that God is always at our fingertips, when our fingers are laced in prayer, our hands folded humbly before him. God bears our burdens too.
Some Of Us
Some of us share our lives freely. But some of us don’t. Some of us find it difficult to trust. Maybe we’ve been betrayed. Maybe our confiding was met with disdain or disinterest. Maybe we shared too much, or too soon? Maybe some of us are just full of pride.
A Few Thoughts About Trusting
- Always take it to God first.
- People in authority aren’t automatically the best confidants.
- Don’t confide in those who are too eager to hear your secrets.
- True friends care more about you than the information you share.
- Don’t use sharing/confiding as a way to make new friends.
- Don’t share the burdens you’re already carrying for someone else.
- If you have to ask if they can be trusted, then don’t.
Closing Thoughts
I recently was feeling burdened with something serious and heavy. I really wanted to talk about it, to share it. But whom could I trust?
As a minister, preacher, pastor, and all around holy man, confiding doesn’t come easy. People confide in me, a lot, all the time. But I thought about it, and decided to trust a friend, a really close and good friend. But it was still hard to do. I needn’t have worried; my friend listened, understood, and encouraged me. My burden will go no farther.
Preachers need to stay close to God.
But they need friends too.Thanks friend.
Shalom
Rick Fyffe 