Trust is a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.This five letter word can either be a deal breaker or a life changer depending on your challenges in life, where you have been, where you are coming from or where you are headed. As a product from a distrustful upbringing, I find it difficult to trust the people that have once betrayed or hurt me. I try not to give people a reason to come in and out of my life as they please – absolutely no room. I do not completely shut the door, however, I turn to control the way the relationship goes thereafter – in a nutshell, I am protecting my fragile heart. Can you blame me? When the adults that were supposed to shelter, project & keep me safe, were the same people that placed this void, distrust, hurt and awful feeling that makes me question every intention or action geared towards me. This is my cross to bear – some days, the cross is too heavy to carry and other days it can seem less burdensome. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

Trust in God means I have chosen a better way to do life and that is life according to Jesus not because of what he can do for me, but because of who He is! He is the ultimate physician, the mountain climber, promise keeper, the sea divider, gracious redeemer, miracle worker, faithful servant, the cornerstone, the good shepherd, the way maker, light in the darkness, trusted King and many more..I cast, surrender all my trials, troubles, tribulations to a God who does not change his stand based on our actions or reactions. “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5. He is here to stay even when all odds fail, the doctors treat & He heals, He divides the sea to make way for us, He created our end into our beginning, He looks at the innermost thoughts of our hearts and rewards each individual based on what he sees. When we trust in God, he makes it easier for us to trust others or to see people for who they truly are before putting our hearts out. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man”, Psalm 118:8. Trust for me is an action word, I would believe less of what is said and more of what is done – action speaks louder than words, do the needful and change the habits/actions that must have caused the distrust in the first place.

A pastor once said, It is more difficult to trust a person than it is to love them. I have never come across a scripture in the Bible that talks about trusting men with all our hearts, that is because it will always lead to failures, disappointment, and hurt.  Jeremiah 17:7-8 says“But Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream, it does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought, and never fails to bear fruit.” Although love can sometimes be confused with trust, they differ in some aspects. Love is a great interest and pleasure in someone/something, while trust is the firm belief in someone/something. To have a healthy vibrant relationship, we need to believe in someone/something, a safety nest, a sense of vulnerability. When trust is broken, either in a friendship, marriage, family, business or contract, it can be difficult to regain because what was shared is no longer considered safe, sacred, or special. The foundation of loving someone comes from trusting them with the assurance that they will catch you when you fall, preserve what you share, protect your heart, & seal the foundation. What happens when all that has been taken away? We have to look into letting go by forgiving them – Forgiveness can restore love, but not necessarily restore trust. Is letting go of the sins against a defender by releasing the prisoner – which is us. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13.

Speaking from experience, it can be difficult for me to go back to the originality of the relationship, however, it is not a problem moving forward. I refused to sit and wait for people to figure out their crap only to come back when they feel it is convenient for them. People make moves either with or without YOU, we have to prioritize our lives, protect our hearts, take charge & be in control of our mental health. Realizing your mistakes and deciding to come back is a good thing, but don’t expect the other person to feel the same way at that point in time. Some of us need time to reevaluate your intentions before reconsidering your stand, that is if it is genuine. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law”. You need to walk in my shoes to appreciate where it hurts and the outcome. No two circumstances are the same. Therefore, don’t be quick to pass judgement, rather assess the situation and listen attentively. Do not take people’s hearts for granted, because you might just become a spectator. In any relationship, we may not always trust the person we love, but we can always love the person we trust. Without respect – love is lost, without caring – love is boring, without honesty – love can lead to unhappiness.  Trust means everything, but once broken, sorry means nothing. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” Psalm 125:1

If there’s ever been a time for us to exhibit trust is during this COVID 19 pandemic. We would like to believe and trust the information coming from the scientist and our governments and also hope and trust that individuals will be honest and report symptoms, contacts or exposures, to confirmed COVID cases, including vaccines related facts/side effects. However, we have had mixed information, and unsure of what is real or fake. For instance, all around the world, we have seen that there is no issue allowing sport fans to games, but closing down places of worship and schools have become an easy target. Messaging has to be consistent across the board and fair for it to be impactful. These had led some to question where our loyalty and trust lies. “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Philippians 1:21. We have lived through unprecedented times like never before and we look forward to the day we will all come together in fellowship without restrictions and give praises to our Maker. We also yearn for the day our kids will become students again with little or no interruptions. 

Who do you trust in again – God or Mortals? If you haven’t already made that decision, please put your Trust in the Lord. The Maker of Heaven & Earth, the I Am that I Am, the one who will not allow your dreams to be shattered nor deterred. He will not allow your hearts to be broken, or your trust to be taken for granted. Put your trust in the one that will stay with you, stand by you, stick with you, fight for you, protect your interest, and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know. The world is full of uncertainty, but God is constant and unchangeable. We live in a world of impossibilities, but with God all things are possible. The world judge us based on our looks/outward appearances, but our God looks at the heart, we live in an age of fear, but because He lives, all fear is gone, the world have no claim on us, because Jesus Christ have already paid it all at the Cross of Calvary – we owe all to Him. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spririt of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3