Thrive & Flourish预览

Choose Trust

When we decide who to trust, we tend to look for people who are steadfast in their heart, mind and character, and who are true to their word. Above all, we tend to look for people who won’t let us down in regard to who we believe them to be. 

A person’s heart, character and values count for a great deal when we consider how far we are prepared to trust them. We tend to trust people most when we know their heart and values are motivated by love and compassion, and their character can be relied upon to be unchanging and solid, even in the most challenging times.  

Jesus’ trust in his father can be seen when he took the loaves and the fish and looked up to Heaven. As he looked up to his father and gave thanks, one of the greatest miracles recorded in the Bible took place. But even Jesus’ trust in his father was shaken to the core in his most excruciating moment of pain and isolation on the cross.  And yet, the cross was not the end of the story.  

While we are all prone to fall short, make mistakes, expect more from ourselves, and others, than perhaps we should, our repeated attempts to learn to become people whom others can trust are never in vain and do not go unnoticed by God. 

Being trustworthy is valued as a leadership quality within groups and communities. Being genuinely caring and compassionate; seeing things from others’ perspectives; having a listening ear that is genuinely interested in hearing the story without making judgments; modeling a strong desire to seek restoration of relationships…a combination of all these mindsets speaks volumes and helps to re-build trust where trust has been broken in the past. People who are like this are inspirational, they carry a heartfelt desire to resolve problems and challenges. 

We all thrive in relationships where we know others have our best interests at heart. 

Today I can choose to allow my heart to be flooded with compassion and love for others and for the world.  And as I take time to learn to surrender my heart and mind to God, I can learn to grow in my trust of His plans and purposes. 

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you that I can trust you! Remind me again today what this actually means for me! Thank you that I can choose to model this trust for others, reflecting how you are with me.