For the last few weeks, there’s been a song I’m borderline obsessed with. It’s called “Have a Little Faith in Me.”
Not a vastly popular song, nor one that was released anywhere close to recent, it’s stuck with me.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get it out of my head.
Eager to decipher this song and move onto the next, I listened hard to the lyrics. The song was about the singer loving this other person and needing that person to trust him. Trust. Maybe that’s the concept my mind kept telling me to examine further.
Having been blessed with superb listening skills, I’d always been told I was trustworthy. Others could tell me their secrets and know I’d keep it safe for them. Fortunately, many people today consider themselves trustworthy and have others to eagerly vouch for that.
Being trustworthy is the easy part. The hard part is trusting others and learning how to put your faith in them.
Maybe it’s volunteering to do a group project alone because you suspect your other members will flake out at the last moment.
It could be not warning your best friend about a surprise birthday party because you know he’d spill the proverbial beans to the birthday girl.
Or, the most tragic of circumstances, it would be not telling your loved one about the heartache you’re going through. She might leave, you would muse, if she knew how tough life was for you sometimes.
Don’t assume you can’t trust people if you’ve never given them a chance. How else could they prove what a wonderful listener and faithful friend they could be?
Today, we’re all about number one. Keep your nose to the grindstone, don’t ask for help and you will succeed. Your competition lies with your neighbors, friends and family. Don’t trust anyone. I can’t think of a sadder existence.
We may not be physical hermits, but sometimes we are definitely emotional ones when it comes to trusting people. We fear all the possible retributions.
They might tell. They might judge. They might revoke your friendship, like it’s actually a silly tangible thing that could be swiped away.
Or you could trust them. Sit them down and tell them all about yourself — hopes, dreams, fears, wants and worries. Let them in and I’m sure they won’t walk out.
Give them tasks. Ask them to pick up your little sister from daycare or print out your homework for you if you’re running late.
Ask for help. Admit you need someone and revel in the chance to trust someone again, if not for the first time.
If you don’t want to trust people for yourselves, do it for them. There is no greater feeling than realizing someone has the utmost faith and respect for you, the feeling that another would put their job, family or even their life into your capable hands.
Next time you have an opportunity to trust someone, don’t hesitate with thoughts of everything that would go wrong.
Think about everything that could go right and have some faith in that.
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