Trusting others is almost inseparable from loving others Im not buying that. There are people I love but would not trust. If fact, there are several who fit into that category. For an intimate relationship trust is paramount but not for loving someone. Jesus commands us to love our enemy, not trust them. This is why my fallback position is that I will trust in the word of the Lord, rather than the words of men! His revelations and not the revelations of men! Indeed relational trust is at times crucial while not always compatible! Often times those often get blurred! TR I love my mother and I trust her. I do realize that she has a sin nature and could betray that trust. However, I also know that she is born again and has been sealed with the Holy Spirit. If she did betray my trust, the Holy Spirit would convict her. Therefore, I don't have a problem trusting her. Why? Because God resides in her. I trust God that He'll help mend fences when necessary. If we have a "I don't trust anyone but Jesus" mindset, that'll make us paranoid and always suspicious. We might as well go live in a cave and sleep with one eye open. :wacko: Sadly, I actually know people like this and they are absolutely miserable. As for unbelievers, I have neighbors that are. I trust them enough to leave a house key with them (if there is an emergency) when I go on vacation. I don't lose any sleep at night on my vacation knowing that they could potentially burglarize my house. Now, would I trust a person off the street that I don't know with my house key? Nope. Why? I don't have a relationship with them. I have built up a relationship of trust with them as we have been neighbours for 10 years. I have a friend whom I love yet he is irresponsible. To trust him would be foolish. The Bible tells us to use discernment. May good Christians have trusted many charlatans and have been taken to the cleaners. Blind trust does not equal love. True intimacy can only be achieved through honesty and trust... Trust is necessary in any number of human relationships, and especially for the healthy functioning of the family of Christ. ....and I would add built upon meaningful communication. Proverbs 31:10-11 New King James Version The Virtuous Wife 10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. I also trust the Lord into whom to trust and to what degree! TR In my example, my neighbour and I have lived side by side for 10 years and have built up a good relationship. I have helped them with problems at times and vice versa. Trust has been built up. I have had other neighbours leave their keys with me or asked that I take in a package for them. There is a level of trust involved in these actions. Trust is built up through relationships. It takes time. You learn who you can confide in. If someone confides in me and makes me promise to not tell anyone, I tell them I won't betray their trust. Trust that they have placed in me. You don't automatically, blindly, just trust anyone, obviously. However, you don't just swing over to the opposite extreme and declare, "I trust no one but Jesus!" That being said, in regards to salvation, I trust in Jesus alone. The Bible makes that very clear. What does the Bible say about trusting others? We must first acknowledge that all humans are sinful (Romans 3:23). More than likely our trust will be broken at some point in several relationships. Perhaps even more sobering to realize, we will hurt others in our relationships and prove ourselves unworthy of their complete trust. But this is not a reason to avoid relationship or decide to never trust. Rather, this understanding helps us reset our expectations. Sometimes we feel betrayed or as if our trust is broken simply because we expected the other person to be and do what only God is and does. Any time we put our trust in another human to be our God, we will be disappointed, and rightly so. At the same time, we may expect another person to be honest or to act with integrity or to fulfill a promise and still find our trust broken. But, again, the answer is not to avoid relationship all together. Rather, we must rely on God first and put our trust ultimately in Him. Psalm 118:8–9 says, "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes." Proverbs 3:5–6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." When our trust is first in God—not in others or in ourselves—we are free to trust others. An understanding that God is sovereign and that He works on behalf of His children (Romans 8:28–29) removes much of our fear in relating to others. We know that even if we are betrayed, God will never forsake us. Hebrews 13 gives some instructions for Christian living. In part, it reminds followers of Jesus that God has said, "'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:5–6). That our trust is ultimately in God instead of others does not mean that we blindly trust everyone with everything. Jesus warned His disciples, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). It is good to recognize that not all people have pure motives and to temper our trust accordingly. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." First Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.'" Proverbs 22:24–25 says, "Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare." Second Corinthians 6:14 cautions believers from being unequally yoked with other believers in close relationships such as marriage. We must be discerning about our relationships and the people to whom we give our trust. Equally important is discernment about the institutions or societal influencers we trust. First John 4:1 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." Just because a particular teaching appears to have authority or popular acceptance does not mean it is biblically sound. While we should submit to our leaders (Romans 13:1–7), we cannot blindly trust everything we hear from sources of supposed authority. We should be especially skeptical of institutions with worldly motives. While caution is advised in giving trust, engaging in trusting relationships with others is rewarding and certainly biblical. Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 talks about the ways in which "two are better than one." Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:5–6 says, "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." Hebrews 10:24–25 talks about the importance of believers gathering together and stirring one another up to love and good works. Ephesians 4:15 talks about speaking truth to one another in love. Real trust includes willingness to be honest with one another, even if that honesty feels awkward or potentially painful. There is no substitute for faithful friends and vibrant Christian community. When we can live in trusting relationships with one another, we edify and encourage one another. One practical way to go about learning to trust others is to focus on being trustworthy yourself. Being a person others can trust involves honesty and integrity. It means keeping your word, not belittling others, admitting when you are wrong, seeking forgiveness, being willing to forgive as you have been forgiven in Christ, and having the courage to share the truths of God's Word and to strive to live them out. Psalm 1 declares that the man who delights in the law of the Lord is blessed. When we seek God's kingdom and His ways first, we will draw closer to Him and our trust in Him will increase. We will also learn to be trustworthy people ourselves. As we do these things, we can learn to more freely trust others. We can ask God for discernment in whom to trust and with what things, and ultimately trust Him with the results. Fair use for education and discussion purposes only I spoke to a client yesterday ( a client who has my personal cell number and we chat sometimes) she said restrictions are being lifted including the vax mandates. she advised me to get in touch with my workplace today. I called a colleague to chat with her about something else an hour ago and the first thing she said was that they dropped all the mandates at work including the vax. I asked how come no one got in touch with me. She said: "hang on, let me find the email and forward it to you" however, she couldn't find it. Two people got hired to take my place and the place of the other employee who did not get the vax. Sally is the name of one of them. She said: you know Sally's contract got renewed. What? (that was scary, did they renew their contracts and are getting rid of us?) My colleague reminded me that Sally is the replacement of the other employee and they might already know she does not want to come back. I just emailed my manager asking her what is going on and emailed a union rep. I am reluctant to email the HR director since I sent her a notice of liability. I need my job back or any other job soon. my previous job might be better for now because it is permanent and I have benefits. I will go back to it for a while then every now and then send a resume for another job that looks good. 
Trust is foundational to human relationship, but not all people are trustworthy. So how can we know whom to trust and with what? The Bible gives us advice.
