Situation: You've just seen on the news today a new App available for your phone (this is true!). Buy it and you can track a person (your spouse, your teen - anybody) anywhere they go, 24/7. You also can listen in on their phone conversations and read their e-mails. What about that new class your spouse is taking? Is he or she really taking the class? Or is there cheating going on? What about your teen? Is he or she really working all those hours? What about momma with Alzheimer's disease? This might be useful to check if she leaves her house when she's not supposed to.
Wow, isn't technology great! Let's examine each relationship separately.
Spouses: The basic expectation of any marriage must be TRUST. You must have implicit trust that your spouse will always tell the truth to you and have your best interests at heart, and your spouse must do the same. If a situation happens that is questionable, you will always feel comfortable discussing it with your spouse first. You will believe your spouse. Say that your spouse is late returning from work. You'll think first, "Traffic must be worse than usual" or "She must have had to work a few minutes late" or "I bet he stopped at Wal-mart for . . . You won't think, "He must be out with that pretty secretary" or "I know she stopped off for a drink with that salesman." You will always think the best! The thoughtful spouse will let the other person know if a late return is likely.
FYI: a co-habiting relationship automatically declares Total Lack of Trust: I'm not sure you're the right person for me or we would be married; I want to be able to leave quickly without 'strings.'
The Teenager: Here trust also needs to occur. If one of our teens works hard and gets fairly good grades at school, is respectful at home, and has friends of whom we would approve, why would we want to not trust that teen? It is the teen who is "problematic," namely, who is lazy, disrespectful, unkempt, and has 'wild' friends that we may need to get into counseling and supervise more closely. I doubt if getting the tracking app would be of any help. Of course, we need to be good parents starting from the day the child is conceived, but a blog is not a place to consider this.
Dementia patients: If a parent definitely has dementia, total supervision is necessary at all times. A tracking app would not assure safety.
Lessons learned: It's up to each of us to trust. Sometimes it's hard. Other times, we may get shocked and 'get burned.' But what's the alternative?: a life of paranoia? What do you think about this? Young people, you probably trust too much! But, don't worry: you will learn with all your relationships: trust slowly.
Our Take-away: Our trust in other people is allied with our trust in God. Do we trust God that he has our best interests at heart even though 'bad' things happen to us in life? Do we know, beyond a doubt, that God will bring good out of everything that happens to us? We could all trust more and be more trustworthy ourselves. Let's pray to God for more trust!
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