TRUST ISN’T BLIND

For every tree is known by its own fruit. Luke 6:44 (NKJV)

Today I'm going to talk about a skill we all need if we want to have great relationships: how to judge people correctly.

You’re probably thinking, “Hey, I thought we weren’t supposed to judge people!” And you’re right… if we’re talking about judging people’s motives. But there is a type of judging that we absolutely need to do.

Let’s say you’re looking for a babysitter. The first candidate you interview lives just down the street. She’s been arrested a couple of times for drug possession and she was fired from her last job for stealing money. Should you let her babysit for you?

The truth is, the Bible doesn’t say that we should just trust people blindly. It would be irresponsible to not take a good look at this woman’s track record before allowing her free access your kids.

This may seem like an obvious example, but over the years I’ve seen this sort of thing happen time and time again. People invest their savings with someone just because they go to the same church. Or they hire someone for a key position without checking their references thoroughly just because they talk a big game.

Don’t get me wrong; the Bible is clear that judging others’ hearts will bring pain into our lives. However, the Bible is also clear that we are to look at the fruit in people’s lives. In other words, we are supposed to judge people’s track records.

What people do is a much better indicator of future behavior than what they say or how they make you feel, so never apologize for making people earn your trust.