Trust
Trust seems to be a forgotten word these days. Or maybe not forgotten, but perhaps the power of the principle has been lost in the wake of the all-conquering trust demolisher: Scandal. We see so much of it in our daily news. Politics (Armsgate), Business (Fidentia), Sport (Bob. Sadly missed).
Scandals like these have led to the erosion of trust as one of the rocks upon which humanity stands. It’s a foundational principle that we seem to have lost, and yet is so glaringly obviously needed…
Think personal relationships. Who do you really trust? Your boyfriend/girlfriend? Spouse? Colleague? Best friends? Family? How much safer are the relationships that are built on genuine trust? How much easier are they? How much more enjoyable are they? Never having to second-guess someone’s intent because you trust them would save hours of arguing, save at least 4 points on the Wong-Baker Pain Rating Scale, and perhaps actually lead to a lot more endorphins of happiness.
After relationships think business. If bosses trusted employees, and colleagues trusted each other, how much faster would business proceed through less red-tape? (aaaaaaargh. If you’ve ever been strangled in a red-tape maypole you’ll sympathise with my expression of agony). This has been brought to light for me in a book written by Stephen MR Covey on the principle of the speed of trust. It seems so obvious; where there is more trust between people business will proceed faster.
Yes trust would definitely make our lives so much easier.
So what makes someone trustworthy? In Stephen’s book he says that trust is made up of 2 main components: Character and Competence. If someone’s character is seriously dubious (for instance if you doubt their integrity or intent) then it’s obvious that there will be little trust. And likewise with competence. You might trust your spouse’s character but if you needed open heart surgery you probably wouldn’t trust them to perform it…And neither would you trust a surgeon with a degree on his wall and a history of time in prison for manslaughter to do the operation either…
Character and Competence. I think Jesus illustrates this principle in the parable of the talents found in Matt 25:14-30. In this well known parable a man entrusts his business to 3 servants, giving each of them an amount of money or share in the business to develop. Interestingly in verse 15 it says that he gives the one 5 talents (as in Rands or Dollars, or perhaps symbolically meaning ability), the other 2 talents and the other only 1 talent, “according to his ability”. That means he entrusted more to those who had more ability!
This is a complete shock for me! I guess I always knew that character was there in the principle of trust but I never saw the reality of competence in there! But here it is. One servant was entrusted with more because of his ability.
After the master leaves, 2 of the servants set about trading and earning profit for the master, while the servant who received only 1 talent goes out and hides the money in a hole in the ground.
Eventually the master returns and wants an account of the trust that he placed on his servants. The servant who traded the 5 talents explains how he made an extra 5 talents profit, and the servant who traded the 2 talents explains how he made an extra 2 talents profit. To both of them the master places his blessing on them commending them for the work, saying: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master”.
Notice how both of them received exactly the same blessing, event though they earned a different amount of profit. The reason is because they had labored to earn a profit, they had tried, they had had used their ability for the best interest of the master. You see it’s not only about the measure of profit, and it’s not only about the performance; it’s not only about ability! But it is clearly also about the heart or character of the servant.
This principle of character is hammered home when the master confronts the servant who buried his talent in a hole. When the master asks for the account and the servant explains that he has done nothing to increase the value of his share, the master thunders a staggering reply: “You wicked and slothful servant…”. ‘Wicked’ and ‘Lazy’. Those are character issues.
Not only was the servant lacking in ability but in the issues of his heart as well. In fact, so clearly does the servant display his lack of character and ability that the master withdraws every cent of trust from him, giving his talent to the more faithful servant. The servant that he trusted the most; the servant with great competence and exceptional character.
I would love to be the kind of person that friends, family and colleagues can trust. To maybe help bring back the principle of trust to our world; a world of relationships, politics, business and sport.
But most of all I would love to be the kind of servant that God can trust. To grow His kingdom, for His glory.