Christians tend to trust others, or they want to. They are often naïve about the business of trust, so they misinterpret some people, documents, situations, even life itself. The attitude is so attractive that it is not easy to fault it in that it makes persons generous, enhances presumed motivations, warmed by the concept that my word is my bond, or we agree on a handshake. I like this approach on bond and handshake and have practiced it, when accepted, for all of my life. I am, in my tenth decade of life, near to concluding financial agreements related to a friend in a business broken by a severe recession. It has cost my retirement reserves, but when I signed the papers, I gave my word. I could not back away from my word, even when there were companies and persons who insisted they could legally get me out of the obligations. That might serve someone well, if legal, but it wasn’t for me. I couldn’t manipulate the system, but I have no judgment of those who would take another route if ethical and legal. My decision was entirely personal. The initial company that failed my friend in his company lost all integrity with me and others when it turned from a legal contract and awarded a multi-million dollars parachute for the forced out executive, and left the little folks to perish economically. The corporation knew the small business people could not afford litigation. No attorney with the specialty necessary for court suit would take these cases without upfront deposits of such amounts that the cost made the recourse moot for the sub-contractors. We were informed that business is business and that, to quote them: We are ordered to preserve our capital.
A fine looking fellow in our state identified Christian churches, organizations, and charities as significant to his business as a leader of a company for financial management. In short, everything seemed Christian about it. Church workers, usually modestly paid and pleased to serve in a faith based institution, invested what they could with this company. Some of them were my friends. When it was found that the man was operating a Ponzi scheme (using funds incoming for payout instead of investment so to build a monumental debt, to be found out when the incoming funds no longer covered the outgo) a large number of pastors and Christian workers lost everything they had. The man was sentenced to many years in prison. With no integrity the man incurred even greater guilt by using God’s ministry to carry out his nefarious schemes.
These kinds of experiences and practices are far more serious than the obvious factors reported in the news releases. They not only affect the legacy of the person who has broken trust, but trickle down on others, even institutions. Those holding trust in others, and including institutions, should do what is necessary to assure trust. The failed trust with me by a massive corporation affects not only me, but my children, and onward as we follow the line of influence and obligation. Much of my loss was to go to Church ministries in appreciation to God for his blessing to me. Why did God not protect that goal of mine? He had given fair warning in his Word, and I trusted without following all the patterns that not only protected what he had provided to me, but that he had permitted it to be taken away. By seeking all the facts, learning how to function in a world that is operative in various contexts, in choosing the best rather than what may seem best and to make sure that trusting is verified is a part of life. We can find in the study of our own context that our duty is to use great care in our decision-making. It is a part of the system that makes it work. Wanting to trust we seek the arenas in which we can trust, but remain in the understanding that trust may be violated.
Trust is so much larger than the physical circumstances noted above. Loyalty is part of trust. I am loyal to my alma maters, to my family, to my government, to my community, and so the story proceeds. I hope they are loyal to me as representative. Loyalty is related to love. I want to be loyal to those I love. The concept is in the marriage vows, to keep oneself in fidelity to this one who declares loyalty to me. The various virtues can be recited. If we understand the virtues emanating from God, and combine them in our persons we gain integrity. God’s evaluation of us is not in the way we are treated, but in the way we treat others. The enemies are ignorance or misapplication of doing that which is righteous. (Matthew 10:41) *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020