The train of trust leads to the crossroads
of reliance. Said train can only take you so far before one must take the risk
of relying on another and concede the comfort of the known. A person can trust
without ever being forced to rely but cannot truly rely without first trusting.
Reliance is an appendage of trust. Reliance makes trust tangible. It’s a
physical manifestation where one fully believes that someone will do what they
said they would do. It is the stomach-dropping shift from silently confiding into
the drastically more dangerous realm of depending on another. It is an outward
expression of surrendering one’s own control and gifting it to another. Such
vulnerability, though risky, has the potential to open up intricate doors of
intimacy that are otherwise inaccessible.
In terms of our current period of probation which we call mortality, reliance is a principle of colossal consequence. In the pre-existence we trusted the Savior and agreed to follow his plan. Now that we are here, we must take that trust to the next level and learn to rely on Him. In Alma 21:9, Aaron teaches that “save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood, there could be no redemption for mankind.” In other words, without a Savior all would be lost. We have been taught that the Savior did indeed perform that which was entrusted Him, that the atonement has been done. He did what we trusted him to do, so now what? Just as we couldn’t progress from the pre-existence without trusting the Savior, so too is our earthly progress stagnant without the willpower to rely. In 1 Nephi 10:5-6, Lehi explains this beautifully: “all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on [the] Redeemer of the world.” Nephi later adds in 2 Nephi 31:20 that the way back home comes only through “relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.” If life’s purpose is to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, then one must learn to surrender control of their life to a life with Him at the helm.
We begin relying on another in baby steps. Not that we want to test our loved one to see if they pass or fail, but creating circumstances where you can learn if they’re reliable could be of great value. Can you rely on them to pick you up at a certain time every day? Can you rely on them to be where they say they’re going to be? Can you rely on them to take over when you’re sick and out of commission? The more they prove reliable the more you can entrust them with. Eventually you are hoping to rely on them to hold your heart and protect it. That magnitude of trust needs little stepping-stone confidence boosters in how reliable they are. Only then can you begin to make commitments to them.
In terms of our current period of probation which we call mortality, reliance is a principle of colossal consequence. In the pre-existence we trusted the Savior and agreed to follow his plan. Now that we are here, we must take that trust to the next level and learn to rely on Him. In Alma 21:9, Aaron teaches that “save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood, there could be no redemption for mankind.” In other words, without a Savior all would be lost. We have been taught that the Savior did indeed perform that which was entrusted Him, that the atonement has been done. He did what we trusted him to do, so now what? Just as we couldn’t progress from the pre-existence without trusting the Savior, so too is our earthly progress stagnant without the willpower to rely. In 1 Nephi 10:5-6, Lehi explains this beautifully: “all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on [the] Redeemer of the world.” Nephi later adds in 2 Nephi 31:20 that the way back home comes only through “relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.” If life’s purpose is to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, then one must learn to surrender control of their life to a life with Him at the helm.
We begin relying on another in baby steps. Not that we want to test our loved one to see if they pass or fail, but creating circumstances where you can learn if they’re reliable could be of great value. Can you rely on them to pick you up at a certain time every day? Can you rely on them to be where they say they’re going to be? Can you rely on them to take over when you’re sick and out of commission? The more they prove reliable the more you can entrust them with. Eventually you are hoping to rely on them to hold your heart and protect it. That magnitude of trust needs little stepping-stone confidence boosters in how reliable they are. Only then can you begin to make commitments to them.
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