Together, Reaching Up, Staying True= TRUST!

This month's Marriage Monday topic is Trust.  

Thank you to E-mom for hosting this monthly series.

TRUST!  Just 5 little letters make up a HUGE word.....trust is often so difficult for so many people.  Even Christian people!  Sometimes circumstances in our lives violate our trust in others, in our selves, and in our Father God...most "trust" issues have a root cause such as abandonment, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, adultery, divorce, among other things.  If you don't get to the "root", you can't really get the full freedom you desire from the trust problem in your life.  However, with work, the Word and the Healing of the Father, sometimes through counseling, you can regain trust in all your relationships and with trusting God as your Father.

Let's explore the word "TRUST" as it relates to Christian marriages.

The world today has many institutions but only two of these were established by God.. These are the church and the home. Please note that it is significant that the Lord God established/created the home first!  A home starts when two people get married. In the physical world, marriage is the most important personal relationship.  We need to remember the rules God has set in place for marriage.

I like the following excerpt I found at a marriage website:

"Trust is the foundation and jewel of marriage (Proverbs 31:11). Trust is built through the WILL of Agape love (I Corinthians 13). This type of love is not of the emotional variety, but of a willingness to project one's self to their partner unselfishly, through honesty, truthfulness, integrity, understanding, openness, encouragement, etc. The combination of the willingness on the part of each to the other, produces a trust that nurtures emotional love and fulfillment that is so satisfying."

 (John H. Stoll, c. 1996)

What does trusting someone signify?

Trust, in a practical sense, means that you place confidence in someone to be honest with you, faithful to you, keep promises, vows and confidences and not abandon you. Trusting another person requires a realistic perspective about people and an expectation of failure. Trust needs to be combined with a willingness to forgive and grows best in an environment of acceptance and love.

My husband, Dave, and I trust each other.  It's that simple. (we are not perfect, though, and we do have our struggles...trust isn't really one of them) It's never been a major issue with us....at least not in the manner of worrying about the faithfulness of one another.  I praise God for that!!  However, trust does take work.  I decided to take the word "TRUST" and come up with an acronym for it.  Here's what I came up with:

Together Reaching Up Staying True

• TOGETHER: we are husband and wife.  This is God's command for marriage.  We are united in Christ because we are both born-again believers making Christ the tie that binds us.  No, we don't do everything together...that's not what I mean (nor is that healthy!!).  We are together in spirit, in unity for our home and daughters, and in making major decisions in the marriage and in serving/worshiping in church.
• REACHING:  we reach towards Jesus.  We strive to lead godly lives, to represent Jesus well (as our pastor would say!), and we continue to want to learn more about God and His Ways for us.
• UP:  this is simple.  We reach UP to heaven, relying on God the Father's wisdom and strength for our marriage and daily lives.  When we face difficulties, which we have during 20 year of marriage, we try to remember to look up...what would God have us do?  Our strength as a married couple comes from God alone. We want to glorify Him in all things.  We look up.
• STAYING:  love is a choice. We choose to stay together so we can honor God through our marriage.  Divorce is not an option for us. It never has been.  Yes, I once threatened my husband I'd walk out the door if he didn't improve in a certain area (a sin area that I can't go into at this point).  Yes, I had to get the elders involved at one point for prayer and counsel (our former church had a group of elders rather than a senior pastor).  But...the issue was worked on. And it no longer has a stronghold over my husband. We plan on staying together. It isn't a choice. (unless one of us became abusive,or adulterous and wasn't willing to repent...a whole other post!)
• TRUE:  we took vows before God, a body of believers, family, and friends.  We take them seriously. Marriage is a true covenant.  We remain true to one another because God's Word commands it. It is even one of the "10 Commandments"...marriage is talked about in the Old and the New Testaments.  It is an important institution that God has ordained.  

Marriage is a lot of work, there is no doubt about that.  Trust is a huge issue in many marriages, both secular and Christian ones.  Christian marriages need to be excellent so the world can see the higher (and better!) standard.  We need to be lights in the darkness.  If trust is a problem with you or your spouse, get help!  My husband had an issue to deal with that required a few short weeks of counseling.  I, my self, have had counseling in the past for some issues.  Everyone has baggage and a past.  But praise God, we can over come those issues by the grace and mercy of God and by repenting of sins and allowing Christ to be the Master over our households. Trust used to be a very difficult thing for me and it still is in many situations, but for some reason......the grace of God, I guess, it has never been an issue in my marriage to Dave.

If we reach up to the Father, staying true to His Word and Promises, we can learn to trust one another.

Are you willing to work??  Are you willing to yield to the One who can perfect your marriage?  If both parties are born-again believers, willing to repent of past sin or even sins you might be currently engaging in, God can heal your marriage and your hearts!  Place your trust in the One who can give you a trusting spirit for your marriage.