One dictionary defines trust as the:
"Assured reliance on the
character, ability,
strength, or truth of
someone or something"
...sounds like a decent definition to me,
although there are many ways we can define it in our own terms
We all know what the bible says- to trust God and lean not on our own understanding, but what do we do when it comes to trusting others? In order for any type of relationship with the people around you to work, there has to be trust. Now trust is not an easy thing by any means. When we choose to trust, we are allowing ourselves to be open to anything- most the time giving up our protection and being vulnerable to hurt or wrong doing. So what do you do? You have to be aware of the fact that in order to continue to build a relationship with someone or re-fix one who’s done wrong, that you have to give a little- you have to give them some trust otherwise you’re at a standstill. To allow ourselves the option of more opportunities and possibilities we have to be a little vulnerable and trust others. It’s hard, sometimes it hurts like hell, sometimes we put ourselves out there so much just to be shattered to pieces. The thing is, you don’t have to fully trust right away, but in order to build it and get to that point I think that you have to start out with some amount of trust. Something else I’ve been thinking about lately is how you take what you’ve learned from these specific experiences. How you apply things to life and continue standing strong is the most important thing. If it was all easy-if things went exactly how you wanted-if things were perfect-if you didn’t have to try- then what would be the point in life?? Think about it.
In conflict situations, lines of communication between people and groups often break down. People stop talking to each other, they withdraw. The result of this is often frequent misunderstandings, distrust and fear. Opening lines of communication is one very important step to take. Just by re-establishing communication, misunderstandings can be corrected and avoided and trust can be built over time. You cannot build this trust if you do not listen however. A conversation is a relationship. Both speaker and listener play a part, each influencing the other. Second important thing is portraying the characteristic of empathy, which helps to create the bond of trust. Empathy gives us insights into what others may be feeling or thinking; it helps us understand how or why others are reacting to situations. Trusting someone is also about acceptance. We must accept people for who they are as a possible basis for any kind of positive change that may present itself eventually- all on the foundation of trust.
