Leviticus 25:17-18 (CEB)

17 You must not cheat each other but fear your God because I am the Lord your God. 18 You will observe my rules, and you will keep my regulations and do them so that you can live securely on the land.


Reflection

“I trust everyone until they give me a reason not to.”

“I’ll trust a person but fool me once, and they’re done.”

“I trust them, but can you ever fully trust someone?”

“I don’t trust anyone.”

“I have trust issues.”

People have a lot of opinions about trust. You’ve probably heard someone say at least one of the above statements before, maybe you’ve even said one. A lot in our lives hinges on us trusting others – and we’re not very comfortable with it.

Trust is important in all types of relationships: romantic, friendly, familial, professional, etc. Breaking someone’s trust is a sin that’s exceptionally hard for us to forgive, it’s something that even when we say we have “forgiven” someone for breaking our trust, that sentiment tends to be followed by “but…”. In today’s text, there’s this connection between not breaking the trust of those around us, and our being able to live securely in a shared space. We want to be able to rely on others, it can be exhausting worrying about if a coworker is going to follow through on completing the assignment, or if a family member will arrive to the important event on time, or if a friend is going to cancel on you last second again. Yes, the nice idea would be to just forgive and not let it affect our ability to trust but that just isn’t reality. Each situation is so nuanced, and steps forward can sometimes be boundaries and seeking out someone else who can be trusted – but no matter the issue at hand, communication is more often than not the most applicable first step. Maybe your friend doesn’t realize that canceling plans bothers you. Maybe the family member can have another family member drive with them so they’re accountable for punctuality. Openly communicating in a way that isn’t accusatory but is willing to be vulnerable and to hear the other can bring us to a place where even when our trust is broken, that doesn’t stop us from ever trusting anyone again.

By Rachel Callender


For Pondering & Prayer

How would you describe your relationship with trust? Can you name 3 people that you feel like you can really rely on? What traits about them can we grow in ourselves?

Prayer: Loving God, you have trusted us with your creation, but even when we have not treated it and each other the way we should – you continue to forgive and let us try again. Thank you. Build in us a heart that is open to trusting and open to be trusted. Amen.