Applying the characteristics of a good father in our lives can help us develop trust in our relationship with Heavenly Father.
Trust can be difficult to develop, and broken trust can seem impossible to mend, but there are tried-and-true principles that can help us achieve the stronger relationships that may seem out of our reach. In his general conference address “Earning the Trust of the Lord and Your Family,” Elder Richard J. Maynes speaks to fathers on how they can better develop trust in their relationships. I realized that the principles he discusses for fathers—effort, integrity, and trust in the Lord—can help everyone deepen their trust with Heavenly Father and those around them.
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- Effort: “Earning the Lord’s trust is a blessing that comes through great effort on our part,” says Elder Maynes. As we make daily efforts to follow the Lord’s will, he will trust us more, and our relationship with him will be strengthened. We can make small goals toward being more obedient, remembering that “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).
- Integrity: “Trust is built on integrity.” Our integrity is our personal dedication to continually making the right choice despite the consequences or whether others are aware of our decision. For the Lord to trust us, he needs to know that we are reliably making righteous decisions.
- Trust in him: “The first step in our quest to earn the Lord’s trust is to place our trust in Him,” says Elder Maynes. Like any facet in a relationship, trust is a two-way road. For the Lord to trust us, we first need to be able to trust him. As he directs us through modern-day prophets, scriptures, and personal revelation, we need to trust him enough to consistently apply his guidance in our lives.
The amazing thing about our relationship with Heavenly Father is that our efforts to earn his trust will increase others’ trust in us as well. Elder Maynes discusses how these principles can specifically help our earthly fathers develop the trust of their children, but these principles apply to everyone in any relationship. Heavenly Father is the ultimate guide in helping us achieve the joy, peace, and love that come from having trust in any relationship.
Read Elder Richard J. Maynes’ full insights on what fathers can teach us about trust in “Earning the Trust of the Lord and Your Family.”
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Ashlyn Tilby, Latter-day Saint Insights
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Find more insights
Learn more about how we can strengthen our families from Elder M. Russell Ballard in his address “Family Councils.”