Billy Graham called Corrie Ten Boom “an inspiration to millions.”

In her speeches, articles, and books, she shared the story of hiding Jews from the Nazis in a secret room in her home. She described being arrested and how she survived the Nazi prison camps where her father and sister died.

People admired her faith and her courage, and many assumed that she was always that way. So, Corrie often shared the following story from her past.

She came from a devout family but when she was a little girl, she was afraid of death and she was quite sure she did not have the strength to be a martyr. Her father told her not to worry.

He reminded her of the train ride they took to Amsterdam every Monday when she was not in school. He would wait to give her a ticket until right before they boarded the train because she did not need it until then. Here’s how she rendered his words in her book, The Hiding Place.

“Our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need—just in time.”

Recently, I recalled Corrie Ten Boom’s tale as I remembered some smart and kind clients I served.

Trust in Brokerage

They are wonderful and gracious people. They excel in their craft, and they rely on me for advice. I don’t choose for them, but I offer them options that are appropriate for their goals and eliminate properties that would be inappropriate for them.

They trust me. I am deeply grateful for our interdependence. Our relationship is wonderful.

An opportunity emerged which seemed a superior choice for them to achieve their goals. Their craft involves prudent risk-taking. Gathering and interpreting information is standard practice for them.

Every investment property is unique. This building differed from what they were familiar with, and I helped them understand the pluses and the minuses, what we still needed to investigate, and why I believed it was an excellent choice for them.

They had one concern which they mentioned in almost every conversation. Each time I said I understood and respected their concern, that the opportunity was within their capacity, and that the other people on their A team were experts in dealing with procedures these investors had never encountered before. Most conversations ended with them thanking me for guidance and my explanation. They expressed gratitude for the reassurance.

The next conversation almost always came back to another wrinkle of the same concern. We went around more than seven times. They heard they could reject the transaction, but that we were unlikely to find another opportunity with as good a bundle of benefits.

The sellers kept their promises. My clients trusted, and their experts verified. When the transaction closed, my buyers may have still been anxious. Over time the property performed extremely close to what their experts had projected. That investment probably was their best option.

My clients were rookies at apartment investment. They were not fools. They made a series of brave moves and some almost brilliant decisions. They were fully competent adults, who were outside their comfort zone.

My clients had to trust their advisors. We’ve all been there.

Trust in Life

Once upon a time, I needed an operation that required anesthesia. As I was on the table, just before the anesthesia took effect, I asked a favor of a nurse. I asked if she would let me hold her hand. I had been happily married longer than she had been alive. I had only met her a few minutes before. She was not surprised or offended by my request for human touch. Probably within a minute, she released my hand. Maybe several people around the operating table chuckled. That was fine.

Her holding my hand didn’t increase the surgeon’s skill, but it did increase my trust. That simple touch gave me comfort that words alone didn’t quite provide.

Trust and Outcomes

Corrie Ten Boom told the story of trust and the train ticket for decades. She often talked to crowds about trust in what could not be proved. Trust is vital, but it does not guarantee a good result. Thin ice can fail even though one has perfect confidence. Thick ice can hold a person without faith.

Sometimes you’ve done all your homework, and you want a guarantee, but no guarantee is available. Don’t be surprised that your emotions are strong. Corrie’s father was not offended that his precious daughter did not understand faith and trust. He took it as an opportunity to teach an important lesson.

Thank goodness I was not offended when the smart people I served continued to express their concerns. If they had declined the opportunity, we would have found another acceptable option, probably not as good, but acceptable. They were the clients; it was their choice.

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When you face a difficult or important choice with incomplete or conflicting information, how do you cope?

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Terry Moore, CCIM, is the author of Building Legacy Wealth: How to Build Wealth and Live a Life Worth Imitating. Read his “Welcome to My Blog.“