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June 5, 2023 38 mins

Rock Solid Families - Ep 239 - The 5 Essentials of Trust 

Merrill and Linda Hutchinson

“If you are a person who can't trust people, you live a life of paranoia. If you are a person who can't be trusted, you live a life of frustration and anger,” explains co-host Merrill Hutchinson. Trust is the foundation for all healthy relationships. Without it, you are unable to form relationships with others and will end up isolated. On the other hand, if you give your trust too freely, you open yourself up to getting hurt. Today, co-hosts Merrill and Linda Hutchinson discuss building trust based on the 5 essentials outlined in Dr. Henry Cloud’s book, Trust. They share examples from their own life experiences along with a look into what the Bible has to say about trust and establishing healthy boundaries.

Trust is the most difficult part of a relationship to rebuild after it has been broken. The five essential elements for determining whether to trust somebody are understanding, motive or intentions, ability, character, and reputation or track record. In addition to these essential elements, Merrill suggests that time is also a critical component of building trust, especially in regard to track record and making up for past mistakes. When you choose to trust someone, you are taking a very real risk with your heart. In order to protect yourself from unnecessary risk, you can use the five elements as a sort of litmus test for whether to open up to that person or not. 

The Bible says to trust in God and His Word above all else. When you establish boundaries around who is worthy of your trust, you set yourself up for forming healthier relationships. The next time you are in a position where you are deciding whether to trust someone or are trying to build trust within a relationship, consider these five essential elements before making yourself vulnerable. 

Quotes

  • “Trust is the fastest thing to fall apart and the hardest thing to rebuild back in relationships.” (1:51-1:58 | Merrill)
  • “I don't want anyone out there listening to be boundaryless and unprotected, because that's when we really are hurt.” (9:21-9:28 | Linda)
  • “The Bible says, ‘The heart is deceitful, above all things’, so if we just trust in our own heart, not God and His Word, then we set ourselves up for failure.” (11:02-11:10 | Linda)
  • “We need to trust people whose motives align with God and His Word.” (17:22-17:25 | Linda)
  • “The best predictor of the future is the past. When we trust someone, we place ourselves in a vulnerable position, so we need to do due diligence of looking at their record.” (27:06-27:16 | Linda)
  • “If you are a person who can't trust people, you live a life of paranoia. If you are a person who can't be trusted, you live a life of frustration and anger.” (33:42-33:53 | Merrill)

YouTube -https://youtu.be/gZvSZGq_TLs
Podcast -
https://www.buzzsprout.com/636718/12878013
Webpage -
https://rocksolidfamilies.org
Instagram Merrill Hutchinson |
https://www.instagram.com/hutchinsonmerrill/?hl=en
Instagram Rock S

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