Similar to the idea shared in Come Clean, what flashes through your mind when someone poses the question, “Do you Trust Me?” Such profound significance in those four words, especially when considering who’s doing the asking or what the circumstances are when the question arises. “Do you Trust Me?” becomes a totally different question when being offered food from a friend, “Trust Me, these salted caramel chocolate chunk cookies from Arby’s are going to melt in your mouth!”—versus from a skydiving instructor, “Trust Me, place your feet on that silver step outside the Cessna, and I’ll do the rest!” Measuring the risk associated between those two scenarios, one is a much easier Trust Me than the other.  

In addition to scenarios when someone may just be overwhelmed by my tendency to Just Be Curious and poses the question, “Do you Trust Me?” in an effort to end my numerous inquiries, I offer a non-exhaustive list when Trust Me might be applied: giving directions to a geographical location, entering unknown terrain on foot, voting for an elected official, instructing a child who does not understand the entire picture, teaching students concepts that are still unclear about the need-to-know, and the list could continue forever. We are often asked to place our trust in others to lead us, guide us, coach us, and instruct us. But this may be a challenging ask for all of us in today’s current culture, but particularly for emerging adults who no longer equate a position of authority with being trustworthy.

As I listened to noted author David Brooks this week at a conference, I was reminded of all the research on Gen Z that expresses concern over how organizations can build trust with the current generation of emerging adults, because life looks very different for them than previous generations. Brooks shares, “The emerging generations today enjoy none of that sense of security. They grew up in a world in which institutions failed, financial systems collapsed, and families were fragile. Children can now expect to have a lower quality of life than their parents, the pandemic rages, climate change looms, and social media is vicious. Their worldview is predicated on threat, not safety.” So, how can we expect new generations to respond to the phrase Trust Me?

Personally, I find solace through information, so when I struggle to find an answer, I conduct research, and one of the places I have a tendency to find some of the best advice is in Scripture. So, I will remind myself and also suggest to Emerging Adults that we embrace the narratives where God has proven Himself trustworthy such as He did with Abraham and Isaac. Winn Collier shares, “I marvel in the trust Isaac had in his father as they climbed their mountain. Far more, I’m undone by the trust Abraham had in God as he raised the knife over his son (Genesis 22:10) …In our confusion, darkness, and testing, we learn truths about ourselves and about God. And we may even find that our testing leads to deeper trust in Him.”

In my life, God often inquires, “Do you Trust Me? I created you and still you hesitate to believe that I have your best future in mind?” Because my path looks different than those around me, trust seems harder because I don’t know what it looks like. Because the journey for Emerging Adults is going to unfold differently than it did in previous generations, they may struggle to find trust and security. But you know what, regardless of the situation, regardless of the Season of Life we happen to be in, God continues to ask, “Do you Trust Me to provide for you?” Although we may hesitate a bit, I believe God expresses excitement when we agree. In fact, it would not surprise me if He utters something such as, “Trust Me, you’re going to love it!”

We all have areas of our lives where giving our trust places us in a vulnerable position. Is there something in your life today that is difficult to hand over with faith and trust to someone else. Please consider sharing your thoughts in the comments below. Trust Me, you won’t regret it!

References:

Brooks, D. (2020, October 5). America is having a moral convulsion. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/collapsing-levels-trust-are-devastating-america/616581/

Collier, W. (2021, October 25). The testing. Our Daily Bread. Retrieved from https://odb.org/US/2021/10/25/the-testing