|
If Not “In God We Trust”, Then Who?
Trust me! Two simple words that, when uttered, should bring a sense of relief, comfort and reassurance to the recipient who hears them. Trust has always been a word that promised hope, optimism of good things to come, and an environment of inner peace that everything was going to be all right.
But somewhere along the way, the word “trust” has been delegated to the bottom of the Mr. Webster’s vocabulary well and has little resemblance of its original definition. When someone now asks you to trust them, there is little doubt that you are in for some fairly unpleasant times. While trust is a simple five-letter word, its meaning, as well as the repercussions of its violation, have powerful ramifications. We all rely on trust in our relationships and once we have lost the trust, most likely we have also lost the relationship. If you truly can trust someone or in something, there is usually very little to worry about.
What has happened? Why is it that the word now has little respect and puts us on guard when we hear it? Was it the used car salesman who would always end his sales pitch with the phrase, “trust me?” Was it the creation of the con man that has sold everything from snake oil to wrinkle cream by offering the assurance of “you know that you can trust me?” Or was it the politician who took the “public trust” serious only when it was advantageous to him? Where did the trust go? What happened? It is more common now to hear people say, “I wouldn’t trust him if I had to.” This statement does not really make a lot of sense, but when someone hears it there is usually agreement from others who know the person the statement is being made about. Many people simply do not trust anything or anyone based on the abuse that the word has taken over the years.
Just when it seemed that we were ready to throw the word out of the dictionary, we have always been able to rely on one little phrase that has been around longer than most of us. “In God we trust.” As watered down as the word has become, it could always muster itself back up to its original meaning when included in that phrase. “In God we trust.” When I hear that remark or when I read those words together there is a sense of calm that reminds me that there are certain things that are still in place that keep us all centered. You may not trust your neighbors, you may not trust your employer, you may not trust your government and you may not even trust the leader of whatever your religious affiliation might be, but there has always been an understanding that most certainly you could trust in God. Well, that was up until now!
To trust in God is no longer politically correct. By all means, it is fine to trust in God, but not in public. It is okay to trust in God in the privacy of your own home or church, but never, never, never should we utter these words in a public gathering. We cannot afford to offend someone. We cannot talk about the trust that we have always been taught, by all religions, that we can have in our God; whoever our God may be. It is just not appropriate anymore. We can not really even feel comfortable with the phrase on our currency, anymore. What if someone who might be using the money does not believe in God? That just would not be right!
Right, smite!! If we are to the point that we are so concerned that someone might be offended by associating the word trust with the one who created all of us, then we are in one heck of a mess. I have never heard anyone offer definition to just which God we are talking about when the phrase is uttered. I feel confident that I know who they are talking about but others may have a different idea. To not have the opportunity to trust in your God, no matter what you may call him, is even more offensive. This is the only trust that we have left that we can seek comfort in. “In God we trust!” I have never uttered the phrase with intent of offending anyone but feel strong in what the words stand for.
But... let us remember who is asking us to delete this phrase from our daily lives, the government and our politically correct friends. We can trust them; can’t we? Sure we can! Trust me on this one.
For further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
If you are interested in having Mr. Hall speak at your next club or group meeting, please email contact information to:
SHall BadgeNotes@aol.com
112103
Archives
|
