Belief vs Trust

Recently someone asked me to distinguish believing from trusting. I suppose we could discuss a variety of definitions, but I choose to present what I have found useful from my own experience.

Belief is an assessment that a thing is true or that a person speaks or behaves truly. Belief requires some level of intellectual understanding and factual support.

Trust is a decision you make to rely on a principle or person. It comes less from the head and more from the heart. Trust requires less intellectual understanding or factual support, and it tends to involve more action.

Allow me to illustrate in a practical way the qualities of these two conditions. Mark talked to his friend, Carlton, whose life had recently transformed in dramatic ways as a result of his involvement in Real Love. Mark could see that Carlton appeared to be much happier, that he was enjoying a far greater level of fulfillment in his marriage, and that he was visibly softer and more nurturing toward his children.

Mark believed the evidence of his eyes and ears. He could see that Carlton was different, and he believed his friend when he stated that the differences were a direct result of Real Love. Mark then trusted the evidence enough to begin his own investigation of Real Love. He read several books and viewed a number of the video segments on the website.

Then Mark attended a local Real Love group and was invited by the wise men and women there to tell the truth about himself. He was quick to talk about the failings of his wife, June, but he could not tell the truth about his own selfishness, because he did not trust enough in the principles of Real Love or in the ability of the group to love him with his flaws. He was too afraid.

Belief usually requires proof. Trust is a leap of faith. I can believe in the buoyancy of water and in the possibility of humans to swim, because I have witnessed people swim on many occasions. But it is quite another thing to trust my instructors and the principles of physics enough to let go of the side of the pool and actually begin to swim on my own.

Belief is good, but trust leads to true power. Trust is life giving.