You Can Trust Your Brothers

 1. Why are we not surprised to see that a lack of trust exists in the world?

PEOPLE in Satan’s world do not know whom they can trust. They are constantly disappointed by the conduct of commercial, political, and religious leaders. That feeling extends to friends, neighbors, and even family members. This should not surprise us. The Bible foretold: “In the last days . . . , men will be . . . disloyal, . . . slanderers, . . . betrayers.” In other words, people would reflect the personality of the god of this system of things, who is far from trustworthy.​—2 Tim. 3:1-4; 2 Cor. 4:4.

 2. (a) In whom can we confidently put our full trust? (b) What may some wonder?

² As Christians, however, we know that we can put our full trust in Jehovah. (Jer. 17:7, 8) We are convinced that he loves us and that he “will never abandon” his friends. (Ps. 9:10) We can also trust in Christ Jesus because he gave his life for us. (1 Pet. 3:18) And we have learned from personal experience that the Bible provides reliable guidance. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) We are confident that we can trust in Jehovah, Jesus, and the Bible. But some may wonder whether they can always trust the brothers and sisters in the congregation. If the answer is yes, why can we trust them?

 3. What remarkable privilege do we have? (Mark 10:29, 30)

³ Jehovah has chosen us to be part of his worldwide family of worshippers. Just think what a privilege that is and what benefits it brings! (Read Mark 10:29, 30.) Around the world, we have brothers and sisters who share our love for Jehovah and who try their best to live by his standards. Our language, culture, and dress may be different from theirs, but we feel close to them, even when meeting them for the first time. We especially love to be with them to praise and worship our loving heavenly Father.​—Ps. 133:1.

 4. Why do we need our brothers and sisters?

⁴ Now more than ever, we need to remain united with our brothers and sisters. At times, they help us to carry our burdens. (Rom. 15:1; Gal. 6:2) They also encourage us to stay active in Jehovah’s service and to keep spiritually strong. (1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 10:23-25) Think how we would feel if we did not have the protection of the congregation to help us stand firm against our common enemies​—Satan the Devil and his wicked world. Satan and those whom he controls will soon attack God’s servants. Imagine how grateful we will be to have our brothers and sisters by our side!

 5. Why might some be reluctant to trust their brothers and sisters?

⁵ Some, however, find it difficult to trust their brothers and sisters, possibly because a fellow believer betrayed a confidence or failed to keep a promise. Or perhaps someone in the congregation said or did something that hurt them deeply. Such experiences may make it difficult to trust others. What, then, can help us to build our trust in our fellow worshippers?

 6. How can love help us to build trust? (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

⁶ Love is the basis for trust. First Corinthians chapter 13 describes many aspects of love that can help us to build or rebuild our trust in others. (Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.) For example, verse 4 says that “love is patient and kind.” Jehovah is patient with us even when we sin against him. Certainly, then, we can be patient with our brothers if they say or do things that irritate or hurt us. Verse 5 adds: “[Love] does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.” We would not want to “keep account of the injury,” making a mental record of our brothers’ offenses for future reference. Ecclesiastes 7:9 notes that we should “not be quick to take offense.” How much better it is to apply the words found at Ephesians 4:26: “Do not let the sun set while you are still angry”!

 7. How will the principles found at Matthew 7:1-5 help us to build trust?

⁷ Another aid in building trust is to see our brothers and sisters as Jehovah sees them. God loves them and does not keep track of their sins. Neither should we. (Ps. 130:3) Instead of focusing on their faults, we should strive to look for their fine qualities and consider their potential to do good. (Read Matthew 7:1-5.) We give them the benefit of the doubt because love “believes all things.” (1 Cor. 13:7) That statement does not mean that Jehovah expects us to trust others blindly; rather, he expects us to trust them because they have shown themselves to be trustworthy.b

 8. How can you develop trust in your brothers?

⁸ Trust, like respect, needs to be earned, and that takes time. How can you develop trust in your brothers? Get to know them well. Speak with them at congregation meetings. Arrange to work with them in the ministry. Be patient with them, giving them the opportunity to demonstrate that they are trustworthy. At first, you may want to be selective in what personal matters you reveal to someone you are just getting to know. As your relationship strengthens, you may feel more comfortable opening up about your feelings. (Luke 16:10) But what can you do if a brother betrays your trust? Do not be quick to give up on him. Instead, give the matter time. And do not allow the actions of a few to discourage you from trusting your brothers. In this regard, we will consider the example set by a number of faithful servants of Jehovah who despite feeling disappointed by some maintained trust in others.

 9. (a) How did Hannah maintain trust in Jehovah’s arrangement despite the shortcomings of some of his representatives? (b) What does Hannah’s experience teach you about trusting Jehovah’s arrangement? (See the picture.)

⁹ Have you ever been disappointed by the conduct of a responsible brother? If so, you may benefit by considering the example of Hannah. The foremost spiritual authority at the time in Israel was High Priest Eli. But he did not have an exemplary family. His sons, who were serving in appointed positions, regularly engaged in disgraceful, immoral conduct; yet, their father did little to correct them. Jehovah did not immediately remove Eli from office. Still, Hannah did not turn her back on God’s arrangement by refusing to worship at the tabernacle as long as Eli was the high priest. When Eli saw Hannah praying in great distress, he wrongly concluded that she was drunk. Without stopping to check the facts, he criticized this distraught woman. (1 Sam. 1:12-16) Even so, Hannah vowed that if she had a son, she would bring him to serve at the tabernacle, where he would be under the care of Eli. (1 Sam. 1:11) Did the matter involving Eli’s sons need to be corrected? Yes, and Jehovah took action in due time. (1 Sam. 4:17) Meanwhile, God rewarded Hannah with a son, Samuel.​—1 Sam. 1:17-20.

10. How did King David maintain his trust in others despite having had a bad experience?

¹⁰ Have you ever felt betrayed by a close friend? If you have, consider King David’s experience. One of his friends was a man named Ahithophel. But when David’s son Absalom tried to take the kingship away from his father, Ahithophel joined Absalom in the rebellion. What a blow it must have been to David to lose the support of both his son and a man he considered to be a friend! David, though, did not allow this betrayal to stop him from trusting others. He continued to trust another loyal friend, Hushai, who refused to join the revolt. David’s confidence was well-founded. Hushai proved to be a good friend, even risking his life to help David.​—2 Sam. 17:1-16.

11. In what way did one of Nabal’s servants display trust?

¹¹ Consider also the example set by one of Nabal’s servants. David and his men had kindly provided protection for the servants of an Israelite named Nabal. Sometime later, David asked wealthy Nabal to provide food for David’s men, whatever Nabal could spare. When Nabal refused this modest request, David became so angry that he decided to kill every male in Nabal’s household. A servant reported the situation to Nabal’s wife, Abigail. As a member of the household, he knew that his life was in Abigail’s hands. Instead of running away, he trusted that Abigail would be able to correct the situation. He could have such confidence because she was known to be a discerning woman. As it turned out, his confidence was justified. Abigail acted with courage by dissuading David from carrying out his plan. (1 Sam. 25:2-35) She trusted that David would act reasonably.

12. How did Jesus show that he trusted his disciples despite their failings?

¹² Jesus trusted his disciples despite their failings. (John 15:15, 16) When James and John asked Jesus for a special position in the Kingdom, Jesus did not question their motives for serving Jehovah or remove them as apostles. (Mark 10:35-40) Later, all of Jesus’ disciples abandoned him on the night he was arrested. (Matt. 26:56) Jesus, however, never lost faith in them. He was well-aware of their imperfections; yet, he “loved them to the end.” (John 13:1) The resurrected Jesus even assigned his 11 faithful apostles the weighty responsibility to take the lead in the disciple-making work and to care for his precious sheep. (Matt. 28:19, 20; John 21:15-17) His confidence in these imperfect men was not misplaced. All of them served faithfully until the end of their earthly course. Certainly, Hannah, David, Nabal’s servant, Abigail, and Jesus set a fine example in trusting imperfect humans.

13. What is a potential obstacle to trust?

¹³ Have you trusted a brother with confidential information, only to find out later that he betrayed your trust? That can be devastating. Once, a sister confided a personal matter to an elder. The next day, the elder’s wife called to encourage the sister, obviously knowing what was told to the elder in confidence. Understandably, the sister’s trust in that elder was shaken. To her credit, though, the sister reached out for help. She approached another elder, and he helped her to rebuild her trust in the elders.

14. What helped one brother to rebuild trust?

¹⁴ One brother had a long-standing difference with two elders whom he felt he could not trust. However, he started thinking about something that was said by a brother whom he greatly respected. This simple yet powerful statement was: “Satan is the enemy, not our brothers.” The brother gave that statement considerable, prayerful thought, and he was eventually able to make peace with both elders.

15. Why may rebuilding trust take time? Give an example.

¹⁵ Have you ever lost a privilege? That can be a painful experience. Grete and her mother were loyal Witnesses in Nazi Germany during the 1930’s when our work was banned. Grete enjoyed the privilege of typing copies of The Watchtower for her fellow believers. But when the brothers learned that her father was opposed to the truth, they took away that privilege, out of fear that her father would betray the congregation to the opposers. Grete’s trials did not end there. Throughout the Second World War, the brothers would not entrust Grete and her mother with copies of the magazines and refused to speak to them when they met on the street. That really hurt! The wounds were deep, and Grete said that it took a long time for her to forgive and to trust those brothers again. In time, though, she acknowledged that Jehovah must have forgiven them, so she should too.c

16. Why must we overcome any obstacles to building trust?

¹⁶ If you have had a similar disheartening experience, work to rebuild your trust. You may need time, but your efforts will be worth it. To illustrate, if we have ever experienced food poisoning, we may be more cautious about what we eat. However, one bad meal will not make us stop eating. Similarly, we should not let one bad experience weaken our trust in all our brothers and sisters, who we know were born imperfect. When we rebuild our trust, we will be happier and better able to focus on what we can do to contribute to the atmosphere of trust in our congregation.

17. Why is trust so important, and what will we discuss in the next article?

¹⁷ Trust is rare in Satan’s world, but trust based on love permeates our worldwide brotherhood. Such trust contributes to our joy and unity now and will be a protection as we face difficult times ahead. What if you have suffered the pain of a broken trust? Try to look at matters from Jehovah’s perspective, apply Bible principles, cultivate deep love for your brothers, and learn from Bible examples. We can overcome our hurt feelings and rebuild our trust in others. As we do, we will enjoy the blessing of having countless friends ‘who stick closer than a brother.’ (Prov. 18:24) Trust, however, is a two-way street. In the next article, we will discuss how we can prove to be worthy of our brothers’ trust.