"To be loved and trusted by those who know us best is life's greatest compliment."


Spiritual Wellness

Trust is a foundational characteristic of any healthy relationship, and when trust is broken it can have a devastating effect. When it comes to asking for forgiveness from a loved one, then, reestablishing trust must be a primary concern. Without it, everything falls apart. If you need some added spiritual motivation for this, then just consider this quote from Jack Anthony: "To be loved and trusted by those who know us best is life's greatest compliment."

 

Trust, friendship, and love are very important to the spiritual life of Christian women and men. Many people find living without these things cannot really be said to be living at all. We all need people that we can depend on, and we all like knowing that others can depend on us. Trust must be regained for a broken relationship to be mended and to become healthy again. If you are seeking to rebuild trust within a relationship, here are five guiding principles to help you achieve your goal.

 

1. Be unswervingly loyal to the other person.

 

Allow your loyalty to be reflected through your words and your actions. Refuse to be unfaithful or to participate in conversations that slander or gossip about the person with whom you are attempting to rebuild trust. Instead, always be ready to come to his or her defense whenever necessary.

 

If you have been disloyal, realize that it can be extremely difficult to recover the trust that has been lost. Many marriages, for example, break apart after the discovery of infidelity. However serious the breach, though, trust can be rebuilt. To do so will require time, a great deal of persistence, and the establishment of a flawless track record from this point forward.

 

2. Become someone who can be depended on.

 

After breaking trust, you must show that you are someone worthy of being trusted again. If you say you will do something, do it. If you make a promise, keep it. If you are expected at a certain time, either be there or call to explain why you will be late. As much as it depends on you, refuse to let the other person down.

 

3. Make honesty a hallmark of your relationship.

 

You can avoid getting caught in a lie by not telling the lie in the first place. Relationships based on deception are bound to fail; those that value honesty have the chance to develop into something great. Honesty in a relationship is always better than deception, even when being honest may require you to be vulnerable and may be costly.

 

4. Show respect for the other person.

 

Value the other person's opinions, ideas, morals, desires, and dreams. Even if you do not hold to the same positions, be respectful. You can express your disagreement, but never belittle or dismiss the beliefs or values of someone else. When you initially broke trust, you did so by placing yourself first. Now it's time to place the other person first if you hope to regain that trust.

 

5. Be devoted to rebuilding trust.

 

At times, it may seem easier to betray a trust than to keep it. Overcoming such incidents requires a strong determination to maintaining and growing that trust. Trust is not something that develops overnight; it takes time and commitment--even more so when trust has already been betrayed.

 

Can you become a person worthy of trust again? The answer to that question is, "yes." The real question is whether or not you are willing to do what it takes to regain and maintain that trust. Trust is lacking from many relationships specifically because it is difficult to develop. Only those who are willing to do what is necessary will experience what it means to be truly trustworthy.

 

Spiritual Prayer

 

My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord.  My mouth is bold against my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation. There is none Holy as the Lord, For there is none besides You, and there is no rock like our God.  Do not multiply proud speech, nor let arrogance come out of your mouth, for the Lord is the God of Knowledge, and by Him actions are examined.  The bows of the mighty are broken, but those who stumbled are girded with strength.  Those that were full have hired out themselves for bread and those that were hungry ceased to hunger.  Even the barren has borne seven and she that has many children waste away.  The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.  The Lord makes poor and makes rich.  He brings low and lifts up.  He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the oppressed from the dunghill to make them sit with princes and inherit a throne of glory.  For the pillars of the earth belong to the Lord, and He has set the world upon them.  He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked will be silent in darkness.  For by strength shall no man prevail.  The adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces.  He will thunder against them out of heaven.  The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.  He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of the anointed.