A Case for Naive / Innocence

I wish we would let our guards down and learn to trust each other again; I wish we stop second-guessing people's intentions even before we get to know them. I wish we can accept & give kindness without hesitation or doubt.I wish we can share our honest feelings (positive or negative) without fear of being judged or rebuked.

I know that in present times, it's really dangerous to be innocent or naive. There have been stories after stories of evil revealing it's ugly head at the end of something that began with sincere, good intentions. Misplaced trust that leads to tragedy. Even places of supposed security & refuge aren't safe any longer

However, it's sad when we have to live in fear & worry like that. I've worried for friends who were overly naive with obvious dangers, but now my heart aches for them as they become cynical & doubtful towards people. I'm afraid that we often hide behind 'wisdom' in fear, & we forget to live with pure hearts. I think that it hinders us from doing good & receiving goodness.

I wish I can give compliments without people questioning if I have hidden motives or agendas. I feel like if I want to praise someone's beauty, I have to first say "I'm happily married & I'm not looking to get anything from you; I just hope to make you smile by telling you how beautiful you are"... Can't we just give compliments anymore?

Why must we first question each others' integrity? Why can't we take others' words at face value? The worst part is when we question someone's intention or integrity, we ask everyone else instead of immediately questioning the person in question. We would say "oh how can I trust that person's answer" and we use that excuse to spread unfounded doubts & cause others to also second-guess the individual in question.

I want to be able to impart wisdom or teach without having to tiptoe around people & guard their feelings. If both the teacher & the student are of a pure heart, there wouldn't be a problem where people get offended / hurt / wounded. When I first started off as youth leader, I had people older than me & I feared being their leader because I assumed that they will think of me as a small kid. 8 years on, one of them just told me that I'm one of the wisest people she knows. How much wasted precious time & troubles that could have been avoided had I learned to not assume people's thoughts?

In a nutshell, our first instinct is to not trust - be it due to wisdom / fear / judgement. I believe if we have a pure heart, our first instinct is to trust & rely on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom when necessary.