Trust is one of the great socially healthy gifts we have lost in many American homes. Trust in marriage has been substituted with distrust in permanent commitments. Often when I speak to couples, young and old, they see committing to a life together in front of God and the state as restrictive and unnecessary. Far too many of our children have been taught not to trust their parents. We have even put in place government agencies who have made it possible for children to make life choices without the knowledge of those who have given the child life in the first place. Trust has been eroded in most civic and social authority relationships. We sadly feel compelled to tell our children to mistrust those we pay to protect us and who are assigned to look out for our welfare. We tell our children that those who lead them civilly are all distrustful. We even tragically tell our

your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

This is for me an essential beginning to a life where trust in others can grow. If you can’t trust the God who created everything we see, then how will you trust those who surround you. The God of the Bible has made it possible to know who He is through a written record of His actions and attitudes. Like a caring parent, He has spoken to us about what will help us and what will harm us. God has written down in the Bible so much about who He truly is, so that we can increase our trust in Him. I have found that the more I trust God, the more I can trust those who serve under Him. In fact the more I trust God, the more I can have confidence that even untrustworthy people are not my enemy.

So please consider the potential power of trust, take a calculated and careful risk, and trust again so that we might enjoy all that God has for us.