I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in human beings. –Pearl S. Buck

It often seems that we have faith in “things” more than each other. When we want more light we flip a switch expecting light to appear. When we want to take a breath we automatically inhale assuming oxygen will fill our lungs. We do not question where the light or breath comes from, we simply expect it to be there.

However, our faith in one another is not always as strong.

How many times have we overreacted to someone because we lacked faith in that person? Perhaps we believed they wouldn’t follow through with a promise or we perceived they wouldn’t do the best they were capable of? So often we judge another through the eyes of distrust, suspecting the worst rather than the best.

Faith in each other requires trusting that people are not innately “bad,” but inherently “good.”

If we want to be positive agents of change in our communities, it only makes sense that we must practice having faith and trust in each other. We cannot possibly hope to have others trust us if we do not trust others.  Trust is a way of cooperating with each other. Can you imagine a sailboat where the crew members do not have faith and trust in each others’ ability? The boat would soon stop functioning because of the chaos. In our community, we live in close quarters, like a boat crew. Faith and trust in each other creates order and balance.

It’s in our human relationships that we are able to witness the amount of faith and trust we possess. In our relationships we are presented with opportunity after opportunity to be open, honest, authentic, and to trust.

Some of us tend to trust too much while many of us do not trust enough. And at the core of all intimacy is faith and trust.

So as you go about your day, who are you willing to place your faith in today?

Namaste
Laura V. Grace