Trust Is a Cherry Pie

When I was a child, I never wanted cake for my birthday. It was always cherry pie for me. Tart-sweet, bright red. 

I used to think this preference was all about liking pie. At some level it was. But now I remember my grandmother's house, cherry trees towering nearby, netted to deter the birds. I picture my grandmother up on her extendable ladder. I remember her hands, gnarled, dripping with red juice, as she pitted her own cherries to make pie.  And I wonder if the cherry pie I always wanted on my birthday was not about pie, but about love and trust.

Last week, meeting with the two teams that have now merged to create this site, I spoke about trust. From a business perspective, we often think trust is a soft thing-- nice to have, but not that necessary. Stephen Covey, Jr., author of The SPEED of Trust, begs to differ. Trust, he notes, is a necessity if businesses want to get things done in a timely, financially-efficient manner.

To illustrate the two foundational qualities of trust-building, character and competence, I asked one of our team members at the meeting to help with a little role play. He came and stood behind me, and when I said the cue words, "there are two main components that build trust," I suddenly fell backwards. He caught me (a real relief!).

The team member who caught me had both qualities when it came to "catching L.L. to keep her from falling." I knew he cared enough to keep me from injury, and I knew he was strong enough to do the job. He was the perfect choice when it came to both character and competence.

It is worth reading Covey's book, to learn more about the roles of character and competence in the trust-building process. But it is worth remembering my grandmother too. When a person gives you something from the heart and hands again and again, and that something is of good quality, given with good intentions, you come to trust.

Here at TheHighCalling.org, we want to earn your trust afresh. The place looks new, but the same hearts and hands are extending gifts of inspiration, challenge, and comfort. So, in the spirit of Christ, who saw fit to begin his ministry with rich provisions at a party (the wedding at Cana), we are hosting a party of our own tomorrow night. You'll be asked to bring your own pie. But trust us, if this virtual world allowed, we'd be serving our own pie to you, grandma-style, in honor of you and our community.

Cherry Photo by Kelly Langner Sauer. Used with permission. Post by L.L. Barkat, author of God in the Yard: Spiritual Practice for the Rest of Us.

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