What do you think of when you hear the word currency?  

When I hear the word currency I think of money.  Money is a tangible representation of currency. In the US, the dollar is the official currency. It’s worth is determined by the comparative value that it holds on the global market. Currently the world’s strongest currency is the Kuwaiti dinar, and the weakest is the Leabanese pound.

Currency in the form of money is pretty straight forward, right?  But have you ever considered the value of an intangible currency?  Something that isn’t physical or perceptible by touch?  For example, trust? Merriam-Webster defines trust as the “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.”  Trust cannot be materially touched or held, none-the-less it holds value.  Trust, therefore, is also a form of currency.

Truly truly I say to you, one of you shall betray me.

Matthew 26:21

In my own life, as I’ve become responsible for more and more people and things, the currency of trust has become incredibly important to me. The value that I place on trusting someone or something implicitly – business, friendship, family, technology, etc. – is incredibly high.  So much so, that when it is broken or depleted, it is incredibly disappointing.  Why?  Because trust is the bedrock of all healthy relationships.  

Recently my husband and I have been navigating a difficult family relationship where we have found ourselves in a place of broken trust. As a result, the relationship is failing and we’ve experienced incredible grief.  I’d love to say this is a first for us, but it’s not.  Trust has been broken in more than one relationship over the years.  We’ve experienced deceitful friendships, dishonest employees, and dysfunctional family members. Broken trust has created hurt, anger and disappointment. Sometimes these places of broken trust have felt like more than we could bear.  Am I speaking to anyone yet?   

Take comfort in knowing that I understand!  Although we are human and it should be expected that trust will inevitably be broken from time to time, the fallout can be hard to navigate.  For me, trust is sacred and given with the expectation that it will be protected.  And when it is not, I rightfully feel shattered.  My husband and I liken trust to a glass ball that, when broken, shatters into a million little pieces.  Those pieces are incredibly hard to put back together, and it is not without blemish.  As such, when it comes to trust, it must be handled delicately.

Jesus himself experienced broken trust in His time here on earth.  Prior to offering His life on a cross for humanity Jesus is recorded in Matthew as being “troubled in spirit” as He told His disciples that one of them would betray Him (Matthew 26).  So what exactly does God have to say about trust?

Throughout the Bible you will find an emphasis on the importance of trust built through integrity and faithfulness.  Likewise, God clearly warns us against broken trust, emphasizing the pain and consequences that broken trust will bring. “Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot that slips” (Proverbs 25:19). Consequences of broken trust can be deep, long lasting, and lead to the death of relationships. 

When you take a walk through the Bible, you will find several examples of broken trust.  Cain betrayed Abel.  Jacob betrayed Esau. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers.  Saul betrayed David.  David betrayed Uriah.  And of course, Judas betrayed Jesus.  In each of these relationships, someone paid a price for trust broken. In each instance broken trust was motivated by self-gain (blessings, land, money, family inheritance) and/or self-preservation.  Sadly, it is no different today. Self-gain is often the root of a betrayal.  In my most recent family situation, envy, control and perceived monetary gain has prompted broken trust.  

Although broken trust can leave us feeling weary and guarded, there is hope!  That is the good news!  God heals the broken heart (Psalm 147:3)!  When we experience broken trust in our human relationships, we can trust God implicitly in due time to heal us in those places.  “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61: 1-3) I don’t know about you, but knowing I can fully trust the Lord to mend my broken heart brings me peace and comfort!  

Broken trust; it is as old as time and continues to this day.  What relationships have been fractured in your life because of broken trust?  Give those places of hurt and distrust to your Heavenly Father.  He desires to make you whole again.