Book Review: ***Trust by Robert E. Wells

This book was published in 1983 by Bookcraft.  I found it on my shelf.  Robert E. Wells is  seventy.  I met him in Argentina as he was the area general authority, and lived in the ward where I served for a time.  Of course he is also known as the father of Miss America, Charlene Wells Hawke.

The idea behind this book as to compare trust in the Lord, to the trust in the banking industry.  Robert E. Wells comes from this background.  He pointed out that the bank looks at three criteria in establishing a loan.  These criteria are character, capacity and collateral.  he points out that character is mostly establish by honesty.  By following through when we say we are going to do something.  Capacity in a spiritual sense id developing the ability to serve in the kingdom.  This is done through testimony, and learning to follow the spirit. We also develop capacity by praying and studying the scriptures.  The last area of collateral is best measured by our ability to follow the prophets.  To be a fried of the Lord, have spiritual collateral, we must be a friend of the prophet.  This implies that we follow the prophet, accept their revelations, and mold our lives around their instruction.  The question is raised whether we would have followed the prophets in old times, or been among those who stoned the prophets.  The answer is in our relation with the present day prophet.  If we accept them and follow the living prophet, we would have done the same in old times.  However if we reject the present-day prophet, so we would have rejected past prophets. 

Trust in the Lord he explains, quoting Reinhold Niebuhr, is to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

This book as enjoyable.  I picked it because it was short, but it did get me thinking as well.