When you love somebody, you trust them.

“When you love somebody, you trust them.” So spoke Carly Pearce, and though her words are simple, they carry the gravity of ages, for they point to a truth that binds all human hearts together. Love without trust is but a fragile illusion, a flame without fuel, a song without melody. To truly love another is to open oneself in vulnerability, to place one’s life, one’s secrets, one’s very soul in the hands of another, believing that they will not betray it. Without this sacred thread of trust, love cannot endure; it withers into suspicion and fear.

The ancients, too, understood this truth. In the epic of Odysseus, Penelope waited twenty years for her husband’s return. She wove by day and unraveled by night, holding off the suitors who sought her hand. Her strength was not in force, but in trust—a trust rooted in love. Though oceans divided them, though war and temptation threatened to sever their bond, she believed in him. That trust preserved her, and their reunion was not merely the end of a story, but the triumph of love made unbreakable by faith.

To trust in love is to surrender fear. It is not blind, nor foolish, but courageous. It says: “I see you as you are, with your flaws and your frailty, and I still place my heart in your keeping.” This courage is greater than any sword, for it disarms suspicion and creates peace where otherwise there would be strife. Pearce’s words remind us that love without trust is incomplete, for it hides behind walls. True love tears down the walls and dares to be defenseless, believing that the other will not strike.

History gives us another witness in the bond between Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Through years of danger, imprisonment, and threats, Coretta trusted her husband’s vision, even when it placed their family at risk. Her love gave her the courage to stand by him, her trust gave strength to his mission. Without such unity, the burden might have broken him. Together, their partnership showed the world that great movements are not carried by leaders alone, but by the invisible trust woven between those who love.

Yet, the quote also warns us indirectly. For if love must contain trust, then betrayal is not merely a breaking of confidence—it is a wounding of love itself. To lie, to deceive, to abandon faith is not simply to break rules; it is to tear apart the sacred union of two souls. The ancients punished betrayal more harshly than theft or even violence, for they knew that broken trust strikes at the very foundation of love and community.

The lesson for us is profound: to love well, we must cultivate trustworthiness. Do not demand trust if you do not live in such a way that others can rely upon you. Keep your word, honor your promises, and protect the hearts entrusted to you. If you are loved, cherish that gift by being worthy of it. And if you love, do not withhold trust out of fear, for in withholding it, you withhold the fullness of love itself.

Therefore, children of tomorrow, remember this teaching: love and trust are one garment, woven together. To rip one is to destroy the other. Live so that your word is unbroken, your actions steadfast, your heart faithful. Give your trust where love dwells, and guard it as the most precious treasure. For when you love somebody, you must also trust them—and in that trust, love finds its true strength, its endurance, and its eternal flame.