Everything good in life requires degrees of well-placed, well-earned trust. We can’t simply say, “Trust me.” Trust has prerequisites. We all have very active trust processors. When we get hurt by others, our trust meter’s sensitivity goes way up.  It’s easy to end up at the mercy of our trust processor, trusting no one, not even God. If that happens, however, we end up forfeiting everything good in life [James 1:16-21].

Live in isolation long enough and, yes, you can develop phenomenal talents and skills. But in isolation you can’t develop character, or integrity, or leadership skills. Those are developed only within authentic relationships built on humility, trust, and submission.

Keep in mind that submission isn’t about power. It’s not even about recognizing and following the leadership of those over us, although that’s very important. Instead, submission involves actively listening to and heeding the counsel of others.

Whenever we tune out what God and trusted friends have to say, we’re nothing more than rugged individualists—bound to lose our way and get needlessly hurt. Don’t do it, my friend. But rather, remember that word that says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”

This is Luis Palau.