"If you get mad at me, will you break into my place?" How would you respond to this question? Yesterday my dear friend asked me that very question. My answer is NO. I could not believe she was thinking like that. It never crossed my  mind. I could not conceive of ever doing something like that to her.

Weeks ago she put me in a position of great trust. I have not abused that trust. Thinking about it I am not sure if she was testing me or just gauging my response. There have been times where we put each other in positions of trust. thinking about it she is putting herself in the vulnerable position trusting me to do the correct thing. Not often have the roles been reversed.

The kind of people we have as friends is an indicator of our spiritual health and maturity. building trust with someone does take time. There are incidences where you can take a big leap and trust someone. How they handle your test will speak volumes about that person.

"Trust is earned, not given away." This has been my philosophy since childhood. It comes from being betrayed by friends, not understanding to world, and feeling like no one listens to me when it concerns myself. Therefore, for me to trust someone means a great deal. If someone betrays my trust, it is not likely I will ever trust them ever again. I can forgive them, however, trust is not coming back. If I ever do trust them again, it would take a very long time. Knowing that someone is willing to betray your trust never goes away and in part of how you deal with that person from that point forward.

For instance: Months ago I was taking off from work for a week. I needed to ensure I had someone to to cover my shifts in the event I can not get back in time. So asking fellow co-workers for their telephone numbers was fine, for most people. One co-worker said OK then later made up some wild story accusing me of something that never happened. Just this one person showed their willingness to make up stories to get undue attention. I have avoided this co-worker ever since. Trusting this person is not likely to happen for a very long time. the other co-workers have not given me a reason not to trust them, and in fact we continue to have good working relations.

Trust is a very heavy burden for anyone. Some people are very trusting until they are burned so many times they harden their hearts. Others may seem hard-of-heart, but this is just a caution as they decided weather they can trust you or not. Still there are those who don't trust anyone. Despite the people you encounter and deal with everyday, you need to ensure you can be trusted and continue to act in a trusting way.

This personal attitude will flow into all aspects of your life. It becomes part of your personality and soon others can see it in you. If you trust in God, then you need to be the kind of person that can be trusted like you trust God.