A mouthful of dry chocolate cookie followed by theslogan "Got Milk?" is nowhere near the power of "Got Trust?" Trustcan be harder than steel but more fragile than glass. While trust cangrow slowly to the point where people have even given their livesbecause of their trust in others, a single event or conversation candestroy sizable chunks of our trust in another.
A high level of performance from any company ororganization requires its members to trust each other. The church isno exception. Without trust, at best relationships will limp along.Without trust, solidarity is problematic. Without trust, leadershipis hamstrung. To build trust takes a steady stream of positiveevidence suggesting that someone is trustworthy.
When your name is mentioned, how would othersrespond to the question, "do you trust'em?" Each of us can askourselves, "What reasons am I giving for others to trust me? Might Ibe undermining their trust in me?"
• "A gossip reveals a secret, but atrustworthy man conceals the matter." Prov 11:13
• Forthrightness and honesty build trust.Hidden agendas or deception destroy trust. The funny thing abouthidden agendas is they are not so hidden. Many people are astuteenough to pick up on patterns of behavior.
• Reliability creates trust. The failure ofothers to fulfill their promises or responsibilities erodes ourconfidence in them.
• Integrity, especially in the face ofadversity, strengthens trust. Conforming to the situation like achameleon reveals the character weakness of duplicity.
Barry Newton, Copyright © 2005
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