Mr. John Strain: Trust
Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education
These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.
Mr. John Strain is the local pastor for the Charlotte area, and has been a faithful long-time minister in the Church. In a recent forum message, he gave helpful advice to the Living Education-Charlotte students regarding trust and reinforcing relationships.
What is a Con Artist?
Sometimes in life we have people try to sell us things, and sometimes those people are con artists. What is a con artist? As Mr. Strain explained, a con artist is someone who attempts to get your money specifically by gaining your trust—your confidence. These individuals promise something too good to be true, often selling something that falls short of expectations. In life, there are many times we are offered
Selling Something
But selling something isn’t always nefarious. In reality, we’re all selling something—if anything, we are selling the idea of ourselves to other people, trying to gain their approval and trust. Even the ministry of the Church works hard at selling God’s way of life to people. Life in general can be a bit of a con game—in the right sense. The trust we extend is a way to develop relationships with people, which can be long-term investments. A big part of that investment is founded on trust.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness is an important component that we offer to others. We must consciously and intentionally offer and display trust in order to develop strong relationships. Hebrews 12:14 states: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” We should be striving to have a positive relationship with others founded on trust.
Fulfilling Trust
God does this with us. He sets a precedent for trustworthiness by affirming that He will keep His covenant with us. In a similar light, our relationship with others is reflective of our relationship with God. The relationships and endeavors we invest in throughout our lives should reflect a mindset of love toward our neighbor, which is founded on trust.
For those attending Living Education-Charlotte, all students write a reason why they are interested in attending the program during the application process. For many, it’s to further their knowledge of the Bible, to be part of the Work, or to develop stronger relationships with other young people. To that end, the Church has placed trust in its students and treated them as an investment. The students who go through the program reciprocate that trust and work hard to fulfill the investment they have been offered.
David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.
