The Practice of Trust

I am sitting in preop as my son prepares to undergo general anesthesia for the second time in his short life. It is yet another instance when I have to entrust my child’s well-being to others. Do I know anything about which anesthesia to use? No. Do I know anything about operating a laser? No. I could read a lot of articles and research for days or weeks, but that still wouldn’t make me an expert. As I see it, I have two options: to go crazy with worry or to trust.

In God we trust. Or at least we’re supposed to. And if people are made in the image of God, then shouldn’t we default to trusting them too? Now, I realize not everyone is trustworthy. I’m sure some of you know that all too well. But have we shifted to an automatic attitude of distrust? Or maybe worse, we automatically trust certain people and habitually distrust others? It seems so. For some, that mindset has been deadly.

Two people somewhat close to me died from COVID because they chose not to get vaccinated. I don’t pretend to know all the reasons for their decision, but one I suspect had a general distrust of modern medicine and one I know chose to trust God instead of a vaccine. They had a right to choose. But that one decision was costly and ended up affecting not only them but also their many friends and family members who now have to trudge on without them.

While the Israelites aren’t always the perfect example, they did put their trust not only in God but also in Moses, whom God appointed: “The people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant” (Exodus 14:31, emphasis added). Am I recommending blind trust in all situations? Certainly not. But trust is required for healthy relationships, communities, and even societies.

According to someone smarter than I am, “High levels of trust promote healthy interactions, whereas low levels of trust undermine constructive relationships.” Whether we like it or not, life works best when people trust each other. When we’re young, we have a childlike faith that our parents will take care of us. Unfortunately, that isn’t true for some. But does that mean we should teach infants not to trust their parents? I don’t think so. When we make a great friend, we assume the best of them. When we start a job, we hope we’ll have a good boss and fun coworkers. If we get married, we believe that person will care for our heart until death do us part. Can you imagine the alternative?

When I was nineteen weeks pregnant with our first child, she measured unusually small. Enter a flurry of appointments and ultrasounds. There were a lot of unknowns and worries, but experts were weighing in and watching closely. I trusted them – not with the outcome but that they cared and would give the best advice they were able. When our daughter was born at one pound, thirteen ounces, I had to trust her care to nurses and doctors who could do what I couldn’t. I’m thrilled to report that she is a happy, healthy, smart girl.

A true test came when my husband and I wondered whether we should have more children. With no known cause of our daughter’s IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction), we had a choice to make: move forward knowing there were risks and uncertainties, or be content with what we had. Either choice could have been the right one. But God impressed on me over many months that whatever choice we made, it shouldn’t be done out of fear (“Fear not” is a refrain of the Bible). Instead, we needed to trust. And now we have a happy and healthy boy.

Medical professionals aren’t the only ones I choose to trust. I entrust my children to their teachers and friends’ parents. I trust my boss and coworkers. I trust my friends. And I’ve even had to learn to trust complete strangers. My daughter joined Daisies (Girl Scouts) when she was five. When it came time to sell cookies, she decided to sell door-to-door in our neighborhood (in freezing cold temps in January). People would light up when they saw her. She had a great sales pitch, but I think the cuteness factor swayed a few people too. Her goal was to sell 100 boxes, but when she met that goal, she kept right on going. I believe she sold 211 boxes. The problem was, we had to pay for the cookies when we put our order in, and we weren’t supposed to ask for the money from customers until we delivered their boxes. That meant we had to fork over $800 for these strangers and pray they’d pay us back. Guess what? All but one did. I’m sure glad my daughter’s troop has changed their policy about paying up front, because last year she sold over 500 boxes. But still, every single person since that first season has paid. Incredible!

While trust (or lack thereof) affects everyone’s relationships, even more is at stake for Jesus’s followers. The theme at my church night now is “rooted and connected.” My pastor recently preached, “How can you and I be connected if we don’t trust one another? If we are going to be connected to one another, we have to be able to trust one another . . . A people who don’t trust each other are not going to be very effective at displaying God’s glory and God’s goodness to the world.”

I know I long to see more of God’s goodness right now. And I want to be a part of spreading it. Do you? If so, change starts with you and me. Practice trust today. Trust that your spouse will do the task they said they would. Trust that your kids are behaving to the best of their ability. Trust that your coworker will follow through. Trust the process. And trust that God will see you through.