A man who doesn’t trust himself can never really trust anyone else. Cardinal De Retz
Having someone we can trust and also being someone who can be trusted by others are necessary ingredients to overall well-being. Additionally, having a mission, purpose or some type of belief system in which we can trust and believe in helps gives us a firm footing and enables us to more fully engage life.
We are social creatures and not intended to live a life of solitude and loneliness. Those who are alone tend to suffer a form of social mal-nutrition. Those having little interaction with others are deprived of vital social nutrients and vitamins. This diminishes their mental health and well being. A neglected child likely suffers difficulties in learning and difficulty in interacting with others and in developing bonds of trust. Those who have never fully developed their sense of self worth and well-being will be challenged to have relationships involving the element of trust. This may present significant obstacles to their happiness and sense of well being.
We need an “inner circle”. It should be comprised of those whom we trust enough to share our inner most secrets, fears, weaknesses, dreams and desires. We need someone to whom we can reveal ourselves and not fear any negative consequences from placing our trust in them. Not only, do we need someone we can trust in such a manner, we need to have others that trust us in a similar manner. We need to both trust others and to be trusted by others. If this does not exist for us, we will have inadequacies likely to cause us any number of problems. We will have some difficulties in having a healthy self image.
Another element of a “trust need” critical to well being is having something bigger than ourselves in which we can trust and believe. Whether it is a cause, a mission, a political party, a religious belief or whatever it may be; we seem to be incomplete without something of this nature as an integral part of our lives. Having something to believe in and commit to energizes and empowers us. Without it we may lack energy and conviction to do very much with our lives. Anything that causes us to lose our belief in something bigger than us can be very serious and potentially become a major setback. We are seriously lacking without having trust in our lives.
Challenge: Always be careful in whom or what you choose to trust. Do not let the need or desire to have someone or something to trust allow you to too easily give your trust. Be very careful and hold high standards. In a similar fashion in order for others to put their trust in you, ask yourself the question, “Am I worthy of their trust?” Another way to look at this is, “Am I worthy of even trusting myself?” To gain trust, become trustworthy.
Wisdom: It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust. Samuel Johnson
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:36
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
Trust is the same as faith and confidence. We want to have faith and confidence in others as well as ourselves. Our faith and confidence grows when we are rewarded by what we hoped for and believed coming true. When it does not happen this way, we tend to lose faith and confidence. The Bible is full of promises encouraging us to have faith and hope. God tells us if we put our faith and hope in him we will be richly rewarded for doing so.
Prayer: Help me to have faith and confidence to listen to you and follow the path you want me to take.