Trust
The last couple of times I filled my car with gas at WalMart I noticed this wonderful “feel good” sign they have posted on their pumps now. Have you seen it? It says, “No prepay required. We trust you.” Great, huh? This huge corporation trusts you and me to be honest and pay for our gas when we’ve finished filling up. However, not two feet away from this sign is another sign plastered to a post. It is larger than the “Trust” sign and says something like this: “You are under surveillance. We have cameras pointed at you, your license tag, your spouse, your kids, and your dog. We will prosecute you and send you to jail for the rest of your life if you even think of stealing our gas.” Okay, it doesn’t say that exactly. It is very clear, however, that there are video cameras watching you, and you will be prosecuted if you don’t pay for your gas.
These contradictory signs have caused me to spend a couple of days pondering the nature of my own trust. In the past, I’ve told my kids I trust them because I want them to act trustworthy. When I tell them that, I believe its important for me to be true to my word and follow through with acts that demonstrate that trust. That means I must not look over their shoulder or check behind them. Honestly, however, I have not always been successful. Sometimes, I have acted with hypocrisy like WalMart. I just wanted the appearance of trust. If I really trusted my children I wouldn’t think twice about whether or not they were going where they said they were going or doing what they said they would do. If I really trusted God, why would I need to continue to give prayer reminders? Why would I keep taking my life back or demanding proofs?
I realize trust is something one earns, and it is difficult to trust someone who has broken trust. There are some people WalMart cannot trust to pay for their gas. Unfortunately, that is a reality of our world. Tonight, however, I’m more concerned with the hypocrisy of our trust. When we tell people (or God) we trust them, then act as if we don’t, we have destroyed our own trustworthiness. Others can no longer believe what we say. When I take on a WalMart attitude toward trust, I reveal my own hypocrisy and my own untrustworthiness.
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