“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5, 6

Sadly, trust seems to be more obvious in our society by its absence.

Long gone are the days when a business contract could be sealed by a handshake and a word of promise.

No credible businessman would enter into any deal without full, notarized documentation in multiple copies.

The very concept of personal, unsecured bank loans are a thing of the past. In the light of the current housing and real estate crash, even equity loans are becoming more difficult to obtain.

More and more we see signs in retail stores that say: “Sorry, we cannot accept personal checks” or on gas pumps that say, “You must pre-pay before pumping gas.”

We seem to be living in a trust free environment, where caution and suspicion rule the day.

Multi-millions of dollars are spent each year on security systems for homes and automobiles.

Gated communities, parking lots and garages are the order of the day.

We ask why so much paranoia?

I am convinced that the main reason for the trust crisis is that trustworthiness as a character trait has no meaning.

People make promises and then don’t follow through.

Employers depend on employees who don’t show up when they are supposed to or make chronic excuses for their absences.

Even family members disappoint each other with empty promises.