Breaking Trust
When was the first time someone broke trust with you? Who was it, and what were the circumstances? Most of us will have a memory flash into our minds.
The summer I turned seven, my family moved into a new house. It was bigger than our previous house, and I had my own new, big room. The neighborhood was full of new houses and families with kids. It was not long before I made a new friend, who turned out to be my very first best friend. That summer, we literally played together from morning to night, day after day. It was great. We explored, we built things, and we talked about almost everything imaginable. One day he told me that he thought we should be blood brothers. I liked the “brother” idea but was a little hesitant about the “blood” part. The sight of my own blood made me feel queasy—but I couldn’t tell him that. So one night we performed the ritual with a knife he borrowed from his mom’s kitchen. We both cut a finger to draw blood and then put our cut fingers together. We were now officially blood brothers. My new brother then said that we each needed to share a secret no one else knew and we would keep the secrets sacred and never tell anyone. It only added to the specialness of being blood brothers. I told him something I thought I would never tell anyone—except maybe God someday. I liked this blood brother deal.
The next morning I was greeted by my mother, who had been called by my blood brother’s mother. As soon as he returned home the night before, he told her my secret. I remember thinking how I had liked trusting him, but now that trust was gone and I would probably never confide in him again.
What about you? What memory of broken trust flashed in your mind?
The day Nancy and I stood before her pastor and half of Houston and said our vows, we trusted each other. Hopefully, you and your spouse felt the same way on your wedding day. Over the years, I did some things that somewhat tarnished Nancy’s trust in me, but thankfully I never lost it completely. I realized how precious and valuable trust was and that if I ever really lost Nancy’s, it might take a long time—or forever—to get it back. That was something I never wanted to have to deal with, and I never wanted her to have to deal with it either. That long-ago blood-brother incident taught me a lot.
As you think about trust—in past relationships and in your marriage today—this is what I really want you to hear: If you have trust in your relationship with your spouse, cherish it and never do anything to lose it. If trust has been broken, do everything you can to regain it, and then hold it sacred for the rest of your life. It is truly a sacred commodity in the most important relationship that God gives us in this life.
What is your next step? A great next step would be to pre-order my new book “7 Secrets To An Awesome Marriage.” This week you not only get it but also the “30 Day Experiment for Couples Workbook” for free! Order now at: http://www.iwantanawesomemarriage.com/7secrets.