Of course, most of us want to be trustworthy. We want to be someone who others can depend on. But what exactly does that look like? In our last post about the Proverbs 31 woman, we discussed the verse about her husband (or father) being able to depend on her. Let’s do a little bit of a word study today and look at some synonyms to trustworthy. Then we will talk about some practical ways we can be dependable and just how simple living fits with that (it may be a closer fit than you think!).
What are the qualities of a trustworthy person?
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Proverbs 31:11
I gave you a little sneak peek of our next verse in this series! What do you think of when you think of a trustworthy person? I would probably think of someone who keeps their word and does what they have promised to do. You might also think of someone you know who is always there for you no matter what.
A trustworthy person is dependable and responsible. When something is given to them to do, they set their hands to it and can be relied upon to finish it without being reminded over and over again. This tells me that a trustworthy person is somewhat organized and keeps track of the various aspects of their lives.
Stop a minute! Before you become overwhelmed and think “I could never be that organized and be trustworthy,” hear me out. You may be feeling very overwhelmed right about now. Do you know how I know this? It’s because I too have struggled with keeping up with everything and being dependable. I understand. And I have learned some things that may help you. We will talk about those in a minute, but let’s explore trustworthiness and its lineup of synonyms first.
What’s Another Word for Trustworthy?
There are a lot of synonyms to trustworthy. Let’s start with one that’s really special to us.
- Virtuous
You read that right! According to the Oxford English Dictionary and the results they brought up on Google, virtuous is related to the word trustworthy. We’ve talked in the past about what virtuous means. It is having moral courage and strength to do what is right.
That certainly fits with being trustworthy, don’t you think? To be trustworthy, we have to make the right decisions. And, we have to make them, not just once, but over and over again. Being trustworthy is not following our whims and feelings and doing what is right only when we feel like it. Instead, it is choosing by God’s grace to make the right decisions over and over again.
What Are Some Synonyms to Trustworthy?
I really liked the list that I found on Google from the Oxford English Dictionary. You can read the list straight through and see what it reveals to you about being trustworthy. Then I’ll share my thoughts.
- reliable
- dependable
- honest
- honorable
- upright
- principled
- true
- virtuous
- responsible
- loyal
- faithful
- steadfast
- trusty
- constant
- unwavering
Why Is Being Trustworthy Important?
One thing we saw from the synonyms to trustworthy is just how important it is to be trustworthy. Just look at how wonderful this list is and how many benefits we can have just from being trustworthy. If you’re like me, you may not have thought about this topic all that much, so this may be a bit surprising. But to be a lot of the things that we want to be to serve the Lord and others around us, we have to be trustworthy.
- If you want to be faithful and loyal to those you love, you have to be trustworthy.
- To be a good friend, you have to be trustworthy.
- If you want to be consistent and someone others can rely on, you have to be trustworthy.
- To have good principles and moral courage to make the right decisions, you have to be trustworthy.
In other words, if we are these things some of the time, or only when we feel like it, then we are not truly trustworthy. Nobody can rely upon someone who changes every day and is not consistent.
Is Being Trustworthy a Skill?
I would say that being trustworthy most definitely is a skill! It doesn’t just happen but has to be cultivated like any other skill, and we’re going to talk about how to do that. Thank you so much for reading all the way down to here!! Or, if you just skipped down to this part, that’s fine (I do it too sometimes).
I think one of the biggest enemies of trustworthiness is an overly crowded schedule and life. Think about it. If you are trying to do more things than what you have time for, what’s going to happen? Some things are going to be half-done or not done at all, and it may end up being the important things that don’t get done. This is just the opposite of being trustworthy.
Do you feel like you are struggling, trying so hard to keep up with it all, but you still miss doing things that you meant to get done? I’ve been there and still have that at times. I find that when I reach that point, something needs to change. Maybe I need to do less. Or, maybe I need to adjust my schedule and build some new habits. We aren’t meant to always live with more on our plates than we can ever do. God doesn’t give us more jobs than time.
One of the first places to start building the skill of trustworthiness is to take inventory of your priorities and the things you are trying to juggle and see if the Lord really wants you to be doing them all. It’s okay to not fill your schedule to the brim all the time. In fact, it’s good and important to take time to rest, think, and develop your relationships with the Lord and your family.
What Is an Example of Trustworthiness?
None of us can ever be perfectly trustworthy all the time. We will fail, and we will let others down. There will be times when we stretch ourselves too thin and can’t keep up with it all.
But, do you know what? There is Someone Who is always trustworthy. 100% of the time.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17
Our God is always trustworthy! He will never fail us. What He has promised to do, He does. He is always there for us and wants to meet our every need. God also wants to help us become more like Him. Do you know what that means? It means that He wants to help make us more trustworthy! We can never get there on our own, but when we seek the Lord’s help and strength, He will help us to grow and to become someone who is dependable.
It is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
God’s mercies are new every single morning. There is not one day where we wake up without the mercies of our God. Aren’t you so thankful that He is trustworthy?
You never knew you could learn so much from some synonyms to trustworthy and a longwinded writer, did you?
Simple Takeaway
- Being trustworthy is important because God is trustworthy and wants us to be like Him. We must become trustworthy to consistently make the right choices.
- We should daily be asking the Lord to make us trustworthy. Is there an area where you are struggling to be consistent? It could be having devotions, doing a job, or any number of things. Start asking the Lord each day to help you be consistent. in that area and all areas of life.
- Take inventory of all the things in your life you are trying to handle. Are there too many? Is there something you could lay aside for right now or delegate to someone else? It’s usually better to do fewer things more dependably!
Stay tuned for the next Proverbs 31 study post when we study Proverbs 31:12. If you’re not getting emails from me, sign up and I’ll let you know each time a new post comes out.
Let’s Chat!
Does being consistent come naturally to you, or are you naturally more likely to be all over the place like me? Had you ever thought before how important it is to be trustworthy to become more like God.
I look forward to hearing from you!
In Christ,
Bethany
I often see being trustworthy as a muscle that needs to be exercised or worked. The more you exercise it, the easier it is to be diligent. But really, we all do depend on the Lord’s faithfulness to make us so. I am grateful we can trust HIM to make us what we should be in Christ.
Thank you for this, Bethany!
What a great point, Micah! The example of working on being diligent as though it is a muscle is really good. And the Lord gives us the strength to do our exercising! 🙂
A subject very close to home. I have really struggled with this and still do. Maybe part of being trustworthy is also learning to say no. Your takeaway is good advice. Thank you, Bethany!
My dad says trust is something that is earned. It takes a long time to earn, but it can be lost in a second. We must be dependable and trustworthy! May The Lord help us!
Yes, this is so true, Agape! I think that consistency rather than skipping from one thing to another is really key. And like you said, that involves saying no to some things. We are really saying no to some anyway just by saying yes to others.