CAN YOU BE TOO TRUSTING? Matthew 10:16.

Some of us trust everyone. Some of us trust no one. Who is right?

As a young lawyer, I remember being cautioned by senior attorneys: “Don’t tell them anything, you understand? I don’t care that he is a co-defendant—he’s gonna be nice to you to try to discover our evidence. But don’t tell him anything, you understand? You can’t trust these people! They’ll stab you in the back first chance they get.”

I remember sending reply emails to each lawyer in which I quoted scripture: “Don’t worry. I get it. Say nothing. Jesus said, ‘Be shrewd as serpents, but be innocent as doves.’ I will be as shrewd as a serpent.”

That pacified the senior attorneys. But they were right about other lawyers: when two parties are being sued by the same plaintiff, they work together on the defense and can begin to feel quite “chummy.” But you’re only on the same team temporarily. Most cases with multiple defendants reach a point where each blames the other for the plaintiff’s complained-of harm.

When Jesus sent His disciples out on a mission to reach the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6), He warned them about trust:

“I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as serpents, but as innocent as doves” Matthew 10:16.

I know myself. I am trusting to a fault.

When you are honest, it is easy to assume everyone else is equally honest. They are not. But I am better off because I know that I tend to be too trusting. And Jesus warned us about that. There are wolves and snakes. Some at the office, some in the neighborhood, some in pulpits, and all of them on the internet.  The frauds, con-men, liars, conspiracy theorists and thieves are everywhere.

It pays to ask tough questions and cultivate healthy skepticism. Can you take that too far? Absolutely! But some questions are critical.

One rule of thumb—before you give up on a conviction you have had for decades, ask HARD questions—and insist on EXCELLENT answers from people who have proven themselves to be reliable sources. The round earth is now flat? The moon landing you always believed in was faked? The savings you worked on for years will double if you send it to a TV preacher? If you fall for these, you are too trusting.

“BE SHREWD AS SERPENTS.” Matthew 10:16.

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