Learning To Trust

Learning to Trust

If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

Three of our five children we adopted from foster care. Two of them were older, having had life experiences with their birth families that were very different from our own. As one of our children began to struggle in life as a teenager, a mental health professional observed that this child had trouble trusting others. She went on to explain that it made sense, that many people who have been through traumatic experiences have trouble trusting—but then she challenged our child that the only way to do it, to trust, is to just start, even in small ways.

Later that week, we were discussing a few of this child’s friends, and I asked whether or not they were trustworthy. Our child stated that they were, and I agreed. I then asked, “What if you told them just a bit of what’s been going on with you this year? What if you were honest?” I was met with a deep stare, as if this child were pondering what would happen if they did. I quickly explained, “It’s up to you to decide how much to say. You don’t have to tell them everything, but what if you were honest just a bit with some of the things you’ve been dealing with?” My child looked at me and nodded, asking what I would suggest, and we role-played what to say. It may seem insignificant to some, but for this child, it was a huge leap of faith.

No one is meant to walk through life and faith alone. We need one another. Scripture reminds us that if one part of Christ’s body suffers, we all suffer along with it—but for others to fully join in our suffering we have to be honest and let them know when we are struggling. Being able to trust a friend in our time of need can be challenging but can also hold some of life’s greatest rewards as well. We do better when we mutually support one another in all of life’s struggles and joys.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Be honest with a trusted friend about something you have been struggling with.