Lack of trust robs us of freedom

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a great deal of the news is devoted to the presentation or the pursuit of information that would prove one thing or another. We’ve tracked down birth certificates and we’ve clamored to see pictures of a dead terrorist. And we’ve then spent countless hours discussing whether it was right or wrong to demand such proof.

I’m not really writing about the right and wrong of any of that. Indeed, given the rhetoric that is circling, the only thing I could be sure of is that more than half of my readers would think I was wrong. After all, beliefs or concepts different from my own represent hidden agenda, don’t they?

No, I’m really writing to lament the fact that we invest an inordinate amount of our lives into activities designed to discredit others. I’m not naive. I understand that there is a lot deception in this world. And I also fully grasp my own tendency to misperception.

But what if I could trust others? What if I could rest assured that my leaders aren’t “spinning” facts simply to manipulate? What if I could rely on any and everything said by people I see each day — stranger, co-worker and friend?

I know, I know. That would be a fantasy land.

Yet, think of how much time we would have to do things that are truly productive. Dream with me about our social problems dwindling — and some even disappearing.

Lack of trust enslaves me to questioning, probing, doubting, and even vilifying almost everyone around me. Lack of trust robs me of my freedom to be wholly creative . . . and caring for others.

I don’t have a global solution. I can’t even recommend that you drop your defenses. But individually, I can live my life as a trustworthy person. I can’t control whether others will actually trust me. Yet I can do everything within my power to give them that opportunity.

There is a place of absolute freedom. God creates solace from the nagging fear of the unknown and how it might hurt us. In Him, we are free.

2 Comments

  1. Agree wholeheartedly. I just spent most of a day building a datasheet to show someone else that what we were saying was truthful.

    • Jim, just think of what you COULD have been doing.Hopefully, your effort will build a relationship of trust for the future.

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