Love always…Trusts, Holding Faith in the Midst of All Things
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.[1]
Trust. Such a small word for such a weighty virtue. To isolate trust from these other virtues is to misunderstand it; love’s trust is not gullible optimism nor a reckless handing over of oneself to anyone who asks. No, the trust Paul speaks of is the deep, steady assurance born of a love rooted in God’s own character.
Trust as the Fruit of Patience and Kindness
Love’s trust cannot be hurried. Patience gives trust its breathing space. A love that has learned to “suffer long” (μακροθυμεῖ - makothomei) is a love that refuses to make snap judgments. It waits, listens, and allows another person the dignity of being imperfect yet redeemable. Trust grows in this soil. Likewise, kindness (χρηστεύεται) softens suspicion. When love approaches the other not with defensive calculation but with gracious generosity, trust begins to take shape. Think of it this way; patience protects trust from premature cynicism, and kindness protects trust from becoming harshly conditional. Love that trusts, does not demand proof before extending a hand. It believes that God is at work even when all evidence seems to argue otherwise.
Trust Refuses the Poison of Envy and Pride
Love “does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” A heart filled with envy cannot trust, for it always suspects that someone else has an advantage or hidden agenda. Pride, too, is fatal to trust, for pride needs to control, to stand superior, to hold others at arm’s length. But love lays down these weapons.
Trust, then, is an act of humility. It is the willingness to let another person’s intentions be good, even if they sometimes falter. It is the refusal to live by the constant calculus of self-protection. Love that trusts says, “I do not need to control everything, God holds us both.”
Trust Rejoices in the Truth
Trust is not blind. It does not rejoice in evil or pretend away reality; rather it “rejoices in the truth.” Love trusts because it is grounded in the ultimate truth—God’s faithfulness. It does not require lies or illusions to hold relationships together. It trusts not because people are always trustworthy, but because the God who sustains love is trustworthy. This is a crucial distinction, Christian trust is not naïve. It does not enable abuse, excuse sin, or remain silent in the face of injustice. Instead, it trusts that truth, however painful, will ultimately heal, not destroy.
Trust Holds Hands with Protection, Hope, and Perseverance
Paul links trust with three other virtues in verse 7, “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” These are not separate actions; they are the rhythm of love’s heartbeat.
Trust and Protection: Love trusts, but it also protects. This balance guards trust from foolishness. A trusting love may extend grace, but it still shields the vulnerable. It trusts God enough to speak truth and set boundaries when needed.
Trust and Hope: Trust leans forward into the future. It believes that God’s story is not finished, even when a person has failed a hundred times. Love that trusts says, “The God who began a good work in you will carry it to completion.” (Phil. 1:6)
Trust and Perseverance: Trust is not fragile. It does not wither at the first disappointment. It perseveres because its foundation is not human perfection but divine faithfulness. Love keeps showing up, again and again, even when trust has been bruised, because it trusts in God’s power to redeem.
The Ultimate Ground of Love’s Trust
Here is the secret, love can only trust because it first trusts God. If we anchor our trust in human reliability alone, it will shatter. But when love trusts in the One who never fails, it finds the courage to keep trusting others, even in brokenness.
Christ himself embodied this trust. He entrusted himself to the Father’s will, even unto death (1 Pet. 2:23). He looked at Peter, who would deny him three times, and still said, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:32). His love trusted that God’s grace would restore Peter; and it did.
A Final Word: The Risk and Beauty of Trust
Love that trusts, is risky. It will get hurt and sometimes feel foolish. But Paul dares us to believe that this is the way of Christ. To love is to risk wounds for the sake of redemption. To trust, even in the face of disappointment, is to echo God’s own heart, the heart that keeps trusting humanity with grace after grace.
So, let us ask ourselves:
· Where have we withheld trust out of fear or pride?
· Where might patience, kindness, and hope nurture trust again?
· And most of all, do we trust God enough to let love risk again?
For in the end, love that trusts is simply love that keeps its eyes on Jesus, the One who “believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails.”
We are taught that trust must be earned. And perhaps, with one another, that is often true. But is it true of God? That is the deeper question; not whether God has proven Himself, but whether we will dare to trust Him at all.
Love, after all, is trust. To love is to trust, and to trust is to love, for both are born in God. When we hold back trust, we hold back love; when we give trust, we give love. And with God, trust is not earned, is it a given. So is the word of God to be trusted, and that is a question we must all face.
Think on these things…
Shalom – Shalom
Jim Varsos
[1] 1 Corinthians 13:7