The Power of Trust

There is nothing more humbling than trust. Being on the receiving end of someone's trust makes me feel like I am doing something right in the friendship realm. And when I know I can trust someone, it's a pretty big deal! It's like handing them a list of my secrets, all typed up in a neat little list, and hoping that they don't slip up and spread your secrets. I'm allowing someone else into my mind and my thoughts because I trust them. Humans are social beings. We want to talk, share, and trust.

Trust is one of those scary traits that you don't want to abuse. I've seen what happens when a person loses the trust of another. It isn't pretty. Trust is a wall that take ages to rebuild after it was smashed. Sometimes trust is broken in an extremely significant way or it is eaten away by simple gossip.

Gossip is so easy to succumb to. "Oh, I'll just tell her because it's funny" or "It's not like he's going to tell so-and-so." We allow these thoughts to justify our indulgent, sinful gossip. But all we're really doing is letting the devil sit in our souls for awhile while we talk to so-and-so, and then we push those gossipy thoughts from our minds like we never said anything at all.

We aren't going to be able to push sins, like gossip, out of our lives if we keep allowing ourselves to dip into them once in a while. Trust is one of the foundations of every relationship, whether a friendship or a more serious one. Breaking someone's trust can significantly change the way they perceive your relationship and you. That's why trust is so difficult to gain back.

I'm sure a lot of us have seen the effects that broken trust can have. I'm trying to make it a goal to be less gossipy and more trustworthy. Sure, I fail occasionally, but at least I'm trying. Will you?