The Key Ingredient of All Relationships

If I asked you what you believe is the most essential ingredient in a relationship, what would you say? I think most people would say something like "trust". Even among the many necessities of any relationship, it usually all boils down to trust. Whether or not a person can be trusted. Why is trust so vital to a relationship? Because without it, a relationship will simply fall apart because of distrust. What is trust? It's simply relying on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing. What's interesting about trust is how long it takes to build and yet how quickly it can be destroyed. In fact, some relationships never recover because mistrust can't be erased, and trust can't be re-established. So how do you build trust? As my pastor says, "By making daily deposits into the bank of trust, and by not making erratic withdrawals from it." To trust anyone, you must make yourself somewhat vulnerable, and vulnerability is not something everyone does with ease. Being vulnerable means that sometimes you have to be honest, open, admit your wrongs and even ask for help. If you have a desire to strengthen your relationships, allow trust to become a pillar in them. You may have no control over what another person does, but you do have that control in what you do. Be a person who infuses trust into your relationships.