Faithful and Trust

After Jesus tells the Parable story in Luke 16 of the rich man who had fired his “corrupt manager” Jesus said in 16:10 “Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in very little is dishonest also in much.”

Webster defines faithful as “worthy of trust or belief; reliable, consistent with truth or actuality.”

Have you ever thought about what it means to be faithful or to have trust? Without faith and trust you would take a gallon jug to the gas station and measure the gas. You would take your scales to the market place and weigh the hamburger. What a mess we would have in our business and society without faith and trust.

In “Psychology Today” Ray B. Williams wrote, “The erosion of trust/faith can have disastrous consequences.

In the article he states that in a FedEx poll, 40 percent of people say they have little or no trust in corporate America, with 47 percent feeling that way about Fortune 500 chief-executive officers.

A “Leadership Quarterly” report cited 39 percent of those surveyed said their supervisors had failed to keep promises; 37 percent said their supervisors had failed to give credit when due; and 33 percent said their supervisors had blamed others to cover up mistakes or to minimize embarrassment.

Bronwyn Fryer writes on the issue of trust in the “Harvard Business Review,” “The business world is shaking like a Wittenberg church door.”

Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses in 1517 that would mark the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. And no wonder, we’re about to undergo a Reformation. Our faith is shaken to the core; our sense of normality unhinged. Wall Street lies in metaphorical rubble. As an aside, movies are being made about the corruption on Wall Street.

When I was home on a Saturday in my freshmen year of college, I experienced this loss of trust personally. My Dad had bought 40 head of bred gilts from a man with an agreed price set. On that Saturday, Dad and I drove an hour and a half in our farm truck to get them. The man asked us to come and have coffee. He was very friendly. Finally, my Dad explained to him we needed to go and load the gilts.

At this moment, for the first time, I experienced what the loss of faith and trust means. The man looked down his feet and mumbled that he had sold the gilts for $5 more a head. My Dad’s face turned red and he got up and left without a word. Dad had a “couple o words” to say in the truck.

The “corrupt-manager parable” came to life for me that day. Faith and trust are a must for strong character. There are times when you must make clear and hard decisions in life. It is possible it will cost you money or your personal time. It is about you being faithful and a person worthy of trust.

Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in very little is dishonest also in much.”

Modern day baseball player Mariano Rivera has retired from baseball this year. After playing the last game at the home of other major teams, the teams presented Rivera with a gift and fans giving him standing ovation He saved 652 games for the Yankees, but his opponents cheered him at his final home game in their stadium.

Why? Rivera was faithful and trustworthy as a professional player. Thus, he earned the respect, trust and faith of all the players and teams in the league.

Are you being faithful with the gifts God has given you as Rivera has been? Are you worthy of the trust of your children, your spouse, your employer, your co-workers, your family and friends?