Trust is often spoken of as the foundation of healthy community, but in the pursuit of purpose it is important to understand what we are trusting and where that trust is placed. To say “do not trust others” is not a call to isolation or suspicion. It is a warning against dependency. Dependency, even when well-intentioned, becomes a quiet form of inaction. It breeds complacency and slowly shifts responsibility away from the self.

Scripture reminds us that each person is given a burden to carry. “Each one should carry their own load” (Galatians 6:5). While we are called to live in unity, unity does not mean substitution. When we rely on others to carry what we were meant to bear, resentment begins to grow—often unnoticed at first. What may begin as shared faith can quietly turn into frustration, then stagnation. Eventually, function breaks down. What once felt like support becomes a weight.

As we seek function in our relationships, we naturally grow familiar with the rhythms and routines of others. In itself, this is not harmful. But human desire often complicates things. We begin to assign meaning, labels, and expectations—not only to others, but to ourselves through them. Identity, once loosened, seeks replacement. And when that replacement is found in another person, trust subtly shifts from God’s design to our own.

Life is layered. We only ever see parts, never the whole. Yet it is easy to confuse the will of the created with the will of the Creator. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). When expectations form without this awareness, disappointment becomes inevitable. When those expectations fail, we assume something is wrong with the relationship itself. This is where misplaced trust begins to fracture function.

When trust is placed in others apart from God, it is often not them we are trusting, but a version of them we have created. Every person we encounter is still becoming. We interact not with their full reality, but with our interpretation of who they are. Scripture cautions us here: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save” (Psalm 146:3). This is not a dismissal of people, but a reminder of limitation.

Many struggle not because they lack relationships, but because they lack clarity of self. When we do not know who we are, we allow others to define us. This is the form of “trust” that quietly erodes purpose. There is only One capable of holding that weight. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). When identity is surrendered to God, burdens do not disappear—but they become manageable. Difficulty remains, yet growth accelerates.

Instead of trusting others to define outcomes, we are called to trust that there is purpose—even when circumstances feel misaligned with our expectations. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). We are reminded again and again that control is not ours. Perspective is.

Think back on moments where judgment came quickly, only to be proven incomplete as events unfolded. These moments are not evidence of failure, but reminders of limitation. We do not control life. We only choose how we stand within it.

As you move through your week, consider where responsibility—and even judgment—has been placed on another who never asked to carry it. When discomfort arises, pause and examine not the person, but your posture. Ask why the moment feels heavy. Often, the power to change the experience lies not in the circumstance, but in how it is being held.

Do not trust others to know who you are.
Do not trust others to carry what was given to you.
Instead, be who you are—before God—and allow relationships to remain functional, not foundational.