What do people live by? Some people will hear this question and ask: But isn’t this a question we must seriously ask ourselves at some point in our lives? People will give various answers to this question, but ‘trust’ is as important as anything else in a person’s life. This is the beginning of My Faith Like Gold column of the Catholic Peace Weekly by a priest professor.
Trust, in its dictionary meaning, is ‘belief and reliance.’ This may contain the meaning that humans are inherently trustworthy beings. For believers, trust is the basic attitude they have toward God, but trust is also a basic principle of all human life. Human beings are born and grow up, form a family, live in society, and live until the end, although it is invisible, trust acts as a greater force than anything else in human life.
First of all, trust is the fundamental foundation of family life. During the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds put on rings and the words they exchange with each other show that marriage is achieved not only through love but also through faith and loyalty. “Please accept this ring I offer you as a token of my love and faithfulness.” Trust relationships between spouses and parents, children, and siblings are the foundation that supports a family. Of course, human trust is indeed very fragile and easily broken. As family members have deep trust in each other, the wounds suffered when trust is broken are deep and great. Repairing a broken relationship requires a lot of time, patience, and sacrifice.
Trust is also important in interpersonal relationships at school or in society. Where trust abounds, every day is a joy and celebration, but there is no place more hellish than a place where distrust prevails. When people trust and wait for others, they grow and achieve a lot by making full use of their capabilities, but in the opposite case, they lose confidence and become intimidated and unable to do what they can. It is said that ‘praise makes even whales dance,’ but wouldn’t it be possible to say that trust makes people dance and even revives dying people?
On the other hand, it is an irony of human life that we realize the important value of trust only later. In particular, when you go through a big crisis or trial in life, you realize how much trust you have received in your life. A person who has lived his whole life as he pleases, but reaches the end of his life, realizes that his life has been meaningless and that he has been searching for something in vain all his life and regrets it. And as he recognizes how much trust his family and acquaintances placed in him, and how much he has lived betraying that trust, he beats his chest and regrets it.
Many years ago, the columnist's brother, who was suffering from a serious illness and was about to undergo major surgery, asked him for prayer. He said that he had lived confidently all his life without bowing his head in front of anyone, but when he fell ill and was nearing death, he experienced his life completely falling apart and realized how futile he had been living his life. And he said that he realized how much love he had received from his family and how badly he had treated that love. He added that surgery is just around the corner, and if he survives, he will live the rest of his life with gratitude and repayment for the love he has received.
Trust and love are connected like two sides of a coin. Trust and love are passed on to each other and make each other live. Before it's too late, let's consider how much trust and love we receive from our family and acquaintances. Let's think of the people who pray for us, cheer us on, and support us. If we could realize that we couldn't live even a moment without their trust and love, wouldn't our lives be completely different?
