Taking a leap of faith and trusting someone else is one of the scariest things you can do, but these people's stories prove that it's worth it.
I trusted my trainer—and he saved my life
"As an athlete, I've always worked hard to push myself to my limits and with that usually comes some aches and pains. So last year when I started to feel some muscle soreness after a tough workout at first I didn't think it was a big deal. I was training for a marathon at the time, so over the weekend I'd done a 13-mile run. The following Tuesday I hit my favorite CrossFit gym to do a workout that involved a lot of upper body weight lifting. My trainer told me to take it easy on my body, but I figured I'd be fine and powered through it. Afterward, my trainer noticed a slight swelling in my arm and said he was worried. I tried to brush him off but he insisted I drink a lot of water and check in with him in a few hours. Sure enough, by that afternoon the swelling had increased and I headed to the doctor. I still thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill but I trusted my trainer so I did it. "The doctor took one look at me and diagnosed me with rhabdomyolysis, a life-threatening condition where muscle overuse causes kidney failure. (Fact: Rhabdo turns your pee brown! Here are 10 more things your urine can tell you about your health.) As they gave me IV fluids to flush out the toxins, my doctor told me that if I'd waited even another 30 minutes, we would have been having this discussion in the emergency room. Things were touch-and-go over the weekend but I made a full recovery, thanks in no small part to my trainer. I was a very experienced CrossFitter and still hadn't seen any problems. Thankfully I had a great trainer I could trust; he saved my life." —Katrina Plyler, Tuscaloosa, AL
I trusted my therapist—and caught my husband cheating
"After suffering through several years of a difficult marriage my husband and I finally decided to try marriage counseling. One day our therapist suggested a one-on-one session with me. He told me that my relationship wasn't healthy and I needed to get out. I still remember his exact words. He said, 'If you told me you were going to stay, I'd ask you why; if you told me you were leaving, I'd have no questions.' (Worried about infidelity in your relationship? Here are 12 subtle signs your mate might be cheating.) "At the time I wasn't ready to believe my marriage was over, but I trusted that he knew what he was talking about. I took his advice seriously and began the painful process of divorce. I discovered that my husband was cheating on me, even while we were in counseling, and I realized my therapist had been so right. What he said that day led me to change my life in a major way and it has made my life so much better in many ways. I'm so grateful I listened to his wise advice when I was too emotionally caught up in my relationship to see the problem myself." —Marcy Wright, Sacramento, CA
I trusted my dog—and I'm still alive
"Ten years ago I adopted my dog Rudy from a shelter just days before they were going to euthanize him and we've had a special bond ever since. As a single woman in her 50s, I've found his companionship really meaningful. We have a lot of rituals together. For instance, every night we have a little bedtime snack and then I get in my bed and he gets in his doggy bed right next to mine. But a year ago suddenly Rudy didn't want to do the routine. Every night when I got in bed he'd jump up on my bed and start licking my face, even though he knows he's not supposed to. I'd get mad and make him get off but the next night he'd do it again. Soon he was jumping on my lap to lick my face every time I sat down. (These are the signs your dog trusts you.) "I was considering taking him to obedience school when it suddenly dawned on me that he was licking the same spot on my jaw over and over again. I felt my jaw and it seemed okay and I didn't have any pain but it was so out of character for my dog that I decided to just trust him. I made an appointment with the doctor and felt silly telling her why I came in but she agreed to do some tests. Well, it turns out I had osteocarcinoma—bone cancer—with a tumor in my jaw. It couldn't be felt from the outside but somehow Rudy knew it was there. I just finished chemo and radiation and I'm doing much better now but the doctors said if I'd waited until the tumor was big enough to be felt, it likely would have been fatal.
I trusted God—and it paid off
"When we first became Christians my husband and I kept hearing about tithing. At the time, we were living paycheck to paycheck, just barely getting by. We were donating about $20 a week which felt like a huge sacrifice at the time. But we kept reading the message in the Bible, Malachi 3:10, and decided to just trust God that if we were obedient He would take care of us. It was a huge leap of faith but we started giving at least 10 percent of our income in tithes. Sure enough, not only could we get by but our financial circumstances kept getting better and better. We've been tithing ever since and never looked back!"