Trust is a funny thing. We tend to assume the best for ourselves since we know our intent and the worst in others because we judge based only on the outcomes of their actions.
We can be especially distrusting if we’ve been hurt in the past…and we’ve all been hurt!
Trust Is Dynamic
If I asked you whether you trust your spouse, you could answer as “yes” or “no” (hopefully it’s yes).
But if I asked whether you trust him or her MORE or LESS than you did yesterday…or last year…or on your wedding day…the answer gets a lot more interesting.
That’s because the level of trust in our marriage is always changing.
You are either building up trust and intimacy or you’re letting it erode by your actions (or inaction).
On a day-to-day basis, you can strengthen the trust between you by spending quality time together, talking, having sex, making decisions together and doing all those little things we do together as a couple.
And of course you can slowly lose that trust when you act selfishly, don’t follow through on your promises, withhold sex or miss a date night.
Trust is a fickle beast, but it’s SO important to continue building up.
But It Can Be Broken VERY Quickly
We spend most of our married time making those gradual changes and enriching our trust over time.
But as we know all too well, there are those Trust Bombs that can destroy trust in an instant:
- Having an affair
- Lying about money
- Keeping secrets and getting exposed
- Talking about your spouse behind their back
In the blink of an eye, years of built-up trust can be destroyed. And it’s difficult to learn to forgive and start back down the road of building up trust and intimacy.
Take Action to Build Up the Trust
Whether you’re simply looking to grow in intimacy and learn how to deepen the trust in your marriage on a day-to-day basis or you’ve been scarred by a major breach of trust, the key is to take action.
Here are three strategies you can use to build or rebuild the trust in your relationship:
1. Bring in Back-Up Help
It’s easy to lose perspective on your own situation when you’re living in it.
Reach out and seek guidance and support from a coach, support group, counselor or trusted friend. Be sure that any resource you seek out is Pro-Marriage and will work in the best interest of your marriage.
Caution: Do NOT seek out help from those that may make the situation worse. This would include recently divorced friends, never-married friends or co-workers…
2. Commit to Finding the Good
When you’re feeling pain, it’s difficult to see the good in those that we love – but it’s essential to the reconciliation process.
Commit to giving your spouse at least one encouragement/compliment every day for the next week. This will help turn the energy in your relationship from negative to positive, plus you’ll be reminded of the positive characteristics of your spouse.
You’ll find it super helpful to keep a journal during this time and track how your actions change the way you see, respect and start to rebuild trust in your husband or wife.
3. Declare that YOU Are Taking Action
In every relationship, there must be a leader when change is required. Whether your trust was broken or you broke the trust of your spouse in some way, you have the opportunity to repair/forgive the broken trust and move forward.
But it requires commitment and real action. In time, your spouse will come around but getting started on this path requires you to step up and be a leader in your marriage.
Trust is an essential and sometimes elusive element in every relationship.
Put these strategies in place to deepen the trust in your marriage and reap the rewards of the contentment and happiness that lie on the other side of the rebuilding process.
Article from: Engaged Marriage, by Dustin
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