Trust

There are people out there who would deceive you to take some of your money.  I encountered a couple of these.

• One came to church and told a sad story of financial hardship.  He asked for money to tide him over for a couple of weeks, promising to return the money later.  We did not see him again.
  
• Another asked for directions to the airport.  Then happy to receive help, he gave a gift.  After that, he told a story of how he got cheated, and needed money to change his air-ticket so that he could go home to Italy.  His modus operandus was similar to http://www.scamnet.wa.gov.au/scamnet/Types_Of_Scams-Itinerant_traders-Leather_Jacket_Scam.htm except that he did not sell, but played for compassion instead.

 What is one supposed to do when shady people like these exist?

• One can be cautious and not trusting, so not to be taken in by these scams, but consequently not helping these people if their stories end up being true.  Or,
  
• One could help, and feel conned, when one releases money for a purpose other than what is intended.

What would Jesus do?  What did Jesus do when people went to Him for help?

Likewise, as we live our lives daily, we naturally need to trust some people around us - even strangers - as we go about our lives.

•  That the food we buy from strangers is safe to eat.
• That our employers will pay us (they were strangers when we started working for them)
• That our Universities will teach us and make us qualified according to the courses they offer
• etc

Is it possible to be cheated in any of these situations?  Yet we know we need to trust in order to move on.

So, how can we tell who we can trust in the world today?  Are our politicians and governments honest people?  Are we any better than the people who try to con us?  Who can we trust?  How much?  Why?