Blind trust

Last night I was coming home after eating out with some friends and I came to a dangerous intersection and could not see oncoming traffic. My wife said it is OK and I blindly pulled out into the intersection and made my turn. I thought to myself that I was putting tremendous trust in her to enter completely broadside into an intersection of a highway with cars doing fifty miles an hour without even looking.

This incident reminded me of an event from my past. I had just had a tremendous amount of money embezzled from my company and the perpetrators were among the most trusted people I knew. Actually the ringleader was like a son to me. He was my most trusted employee. He handled financial matters for our company as well as back-up for our computer system. I trusted him so much that I had even given him a key to my house and anytime my wife and I went out of town he stayed at our house and watched over things for us. I trusted him as much as I have ever trusted a non-family member. Unfortunately he led a host of other employees who worked for us and were trusted and respected as well to steal us blind over a period of six months and very nearly bankrupt our company.

After his betrayal I was totally devastated. I felt violated and was disgusted with humanity. Afterwards I was talking to my attorney about changing various things such as control of my electronic signature and he asked who I would like to be in charge of such things. He told me that it needed to be someone that I trust. I told him that I guessed that I would have my wife do it, but after everything I had just been through I could not say that I even trusted her. He laughed at this, but I did not. After everything I had just been through I had a difficult time trusting anyone and this is still fresh in my mind almost thirty years later and trust is very difficult for me even now.

Unfortunately people will let us down time and time again. If you have never been betrayed by a close friend or family member, consider yourself blessed and be ready for the hammer to drop’. Wherever human beings are involved the frailties of a fallen human race linger. Lest you think I am too cynical, read Micah 7:5 where it states “Do not trust in a friend Do not put your confidence in a companion. A friend recently told me that he trusted me as much as he could trust anyone’. I consider this to be a high compliment and I like the disclaimer he put in his statement “as much as I can trust anyone”. It is honest and refreshing to see a wise man who knows as much as he would like to completely’ trust someone, alas we are after all mere humans and humans have frailties that can and do on occasion let others down. It is difficult if not impossible to completely put our trust in anyone be it family member, pastor, deacon, Sunday school teacher, business acquaintance, or lifelong friend.

Our currency states, “In God we trust”. It is entirely accurate and God is the one exception. God can be trusted 100% with no disclaimer necessary. He is always faithful, He never has a hidden agenda, and He is the same today as He was 1000 years ago or will be ten million years from now. He is our friend and will remain so in spite of everything. We can trust God with our lives, our wives, our money and our very souls which will live on for eternity. God cannot be tempted or persuaded to abandon us and will be by our sides even as we walk through the valley of death. In the rest of the verses in this passage in Micah we are told where to put our trust. I hope you have done so

Micah 7:6
For son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her
mother,
Daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men
of his own household.
Therefore I will look to the
Lord;
I will wait for the God of my
salvation