Trust And Faith In Relationships

Yesterday, I called my Internet cable company to see if I could get a reduced monthly rate, since they increased my monthly Internet bill by almost eleven dollars (current rate almost sixty-nine dollars). The customer representative told me that I was already at the lowest rate possible and there were no new promotional savings offers at the present time. I suggested to her that she might inform upper management that when they keep raising Internet service rates, they will soon exclude folks like me who are living on a limited income. The raising of rates will eventually cause other problems within the company as well, i.e., layoffs, reduced company benefits, etc.

In his two articles, here and here, award winning author, Frank Sonnenberg (see blog) writes about the values on which trust rests and how to earn someone's faith. In his second article, Mr. Sonnenberg states the following regarding faith as a major component of trust in not only in individuals, but in business organizations as well:

"Faith enables you to go beyond facts and still feel secure about another person or even an organization. Faith is often a result of someone motivated by unselfish reasons caring about your interests above their own. It’s a result of people responding supportively. It’s a result of empathy, of someone showing concern. It’s knowing that someone would never try to hurt you, take advantage of you in a pinch, or criticize you in front of others. It’s knowing that your organization will support you, be available if you need them, coach you, encourage your ideas, and take an interest in your career and in your life. Faith is strengthened when you put customers’ interests in front of your own, not only meeting, but exceeding their expectations. It’s strengthened when an organization is clearly more interested in helping prospective clients resolve their business issues than in selling them additional products."

Abraham fully believed in the above statements when he obeyed what God told him to do "by faith" (Hebrews 11:8-10). Abraham knew that God had his best interests at heart (Genesis 18:16-19 - agape love). Thus, we see both trust and faith working in Abraham's relationship with God. My Internet company needs to seriously consider not only the above statements, but also Matthew 7:12 in their relationships with customers. Selfish greed (see here and here) should never come into the picture.

---Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets