Trust

Originally posted July 30, 2006.
Trust. It is such a vital part of any relationship. When I think about the ultimate in trust, I think about this illustrated sermon I did when I was in high school. Trust in a person can be visually illustrated by two people catching each other. I did this experiment: Two volunteers were needed. One stood in front of the other, both facing the same direction, about two feet apart. The person in the front was given the task of falling into the arms of the person behind them. This may sound easy, but it is not. The person in the front had to completely trust the person to catch them. If they doubted even for a moment, he or she would be forced to take matters into their own hands and take a step back, trying to catch themselves. The experiment only worked if the person in the front made a decision to trust the person at the back, closing their eyes and trully surrendering. Their life and safety was resting in that person that was to catch them. It was quite impressive once the person at the front made the decision to trust and fell straight back into the arms of the person at the back. But, what would have happened if at the very last minute the person at the back stepped out of the way, letting the person fall right before their eyes? Do you think the front person would be up for volunteering again for this demonstration? Probably not. Who wants to get hurt? The person at the back had to make a decision as well. Their decision was to stand up, be there, and be attentive. If they lost their focus even for a moment, the person that was relying on them could end up hurting themselves very badly. The point is that trust takes two people; two people who decide to do the right thing. Trust does not work if one person is not involved whether it is the trustee or the truster.I find myself being the front person who is actively making the decision to trust over and over only to find myself landing on the floor, badly bruised, making it that much harder to trust next time.