Trust

In “Trust in the Lord“, Elder Paul B. Pieper states, “Our relationship with God will grow only to the degree we are willing to place our trust in Him.” Our experiences in this mortal life affect how much trust we are willing to place in others. This includes placing our trust in God. But even when mortals make us distrustful, God is always trustworthy.

What Does It Mean To Trust?

The dictionary definition of trust is, “[a] firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” In life, we experience this through our relationships with others.

Elder Pieper says, “Trust is the foundation of all relationships. . . . A relationship forms only when people are willing to place trust in each other. It is not a relationship if one person trusts completely but the other does not.”

Growing up I became distrustful of others. This happened over years of being bullied, teased, and, in my view, betrayed. Those I thought were my friends would always seem to turn on me. I was open with them; in turn they used my openness to benefit themselves.

My distrust of others wasn’t something I confronted until a friend of mine pointed out that “not everyone was out to get me.” I was 25 years old when he made that statement. It stung. I had a view that everyone was out for themselves and that they would use and/or abuse me to get what they wanted. I was skeptical of others’ motives.

After my friend pointed out this flaw, I began to show signs of trust in others. It wasn’t easy. I got burned a few more times. I then began to see how it wasn’t about me, but about them. I tried to be more friendly, more kind. I also tried to be a better “team” person. I realized that I was looking out for myself and not projecting that I was trustworthy.

Marriage Trust

Some of the above happened after I married. Trusting my wife has never been an issue. It’s funny how the only person I trusted implicitly, was the one I loved the most. I truly believe that the marriage relationship has to be the most trustworthy one.

This trust has to be viewed both ways. What I mean by that is, yes I trust Cheryl but can she trust me? I have worked hard to ensure that Cheryl can trust me at all times and in all places. It’s a goal I have to never let her down or not trust me.

Trusting Imperfect Beings

There has been a lot of talk about the trustworthiness of others. In election years, one tactic is to get people to distrust the motives and aspirations of one’s opponent. Likewise, some do their best to plant seeds of distrust in the leaders of the church.

To remain firm in the faith, one must trust the church leadership. These men and women have been called by God to positions of great responsibility and pressure. They have a lot riding on their shoulders and, in my opinion, they do the best that they can.

Are they perfect? Of course not. This is a key to church members’ relationship with their leaders. If we remember that they are imperfect, we can more easily forgive them if something goes awry. Trusting church leadership does not mean they can do no wrong. It means that we have accepted God’s choice.

Trust with and in God

Finally, our relationship with God and our trust in Him. When I was in the phase of not trusting anyone, it affected my ability to trust in God. Even though I had experiences in college and on my mission that leave no doubt in my mind that He loves me and that I have found His church, I didn’t place full trust in Him. This led to me falling off the covenant path and having to repent and return to Him.

Elder Pieper tells us, “Heavenly Father desires to build a close, personal relationship with each of His spirit children. . . . The relationship God seeks with each spirit child is one so close and personal that He will be able to share all He has and all He is.”

How can we place our trust in God such that He will “share all He has and all He is?” I believe it happens through the “small and simple things” (Alma 37:6). I ask myself “Am I doing the small and simple things?” like:

1. Daily Prayer
2. Scripture Sunday
3. Attending my church meetings
4. Ministering
5. Magnifying my calling
6. Repenting daily
7. Always remembering Christ

The list is much larger than just seven items, but I think you get the picture. It is through the constant seeking of the spirit and constant doing of the commandments that allow us to trust in God more and more.

Alma, talking to his son Shiblon, states, “that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 38:5). That is a great promise, especially when we are in the midst of trials, troubles, and afflictions.

Nephi states in 2 Nephi 4, “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh” (2 Nephi 4:34). This is a goal of mine. To trust in God throughout my life is something I can build up by doing small and simple things.

Conclusion

Relationships are built on mutual trust. God in His infinite love, trusts us, even when we make poor choices. To strengthen our relationship with Him, we must learn to place our trust in Him. We can do this through prayer, repentance, obedience and service. As our trust in God deepens, He begins to share all that he has and all that He is with us. This in turn aligns us with His will and, one day, will lead us to exaltation where we can live with Him again.