Trust is the Key!

Trust is the Key!

Posted on June 24, 2019July 7, 2019 by Jill Vanderwood

Categories: Advice from Grandma - One Generation to Another

Do you remember the first time your parents gave you a key to your house or apartment?

That was a big step! It meant that your parents trusted you. They trusted that you weren’t going to let someone else have that key. You weren’t going to invite strangers over, and you weren’t going to make a huge mess while they were at work. They were also trusting that you were grown up enough for that responsibility.

Over the years, I have been trusted with the keys to several businesses where I worked. I have been given extra keys to the homes and cars of neighbors. I also have a key to my church building. What does that mean? It means that people trust me.

Trust needs to be earned

Trust is something that needs to be earned. There are some people who say, “Trust no one.” Others are too trusting and keep trusting someone even when that person lets them down continually.

Many things can be broken

Many things can be broken. Broken promises. Broken hearts. Broken engagements. Even broken glass or something of value to someone else. Most people can forgive a mistake. But if you keep breaking these things over and over, it is no longer a mistake. The one thing you really don’t want to break is trust.

Losing trust

Now, think for a moment what it would be like to lose someone’s trust. How would that feel? What if your parents trusted you with the key and when they were away you had strangers in the house and something valuable was broken? Then imagine that your parents took the key away from you and said, “You can no longer have the key. You have broken my trust.” Or, “I can no longer trust you.” How would that feel?

You could lose everything

Once trust is broken, things begin to happen. If you stole from your job or gave away free food to your friends, you could be escorted off a job and be charged with a crime. If you broke your parents trust, you could be kicked you out of the house. It would be very hard to earn back the trust you’ve lost.

I know someone who was always loved by his parents. He’s now an adult with children of his own, who turned to a life of drug addiction. His parents were still there for him and helped him get into drug rehab. They allowed him to live with them until he got his life back on track. They even let him drive their car.

How did this man repay his parents? He went into their home and stole from them. Sure, the parents still love their son. But they will no longer help him or allow him into their home. Who do you think is wrong here? Of course, the son who turned on the only people who were trying to help him. He had lost their trust.

How can he earn back the trust he lost?

How can he earn back the trust he lost? I think the only way he could earn back the trust would be to get his life back on track and pay his parents for all the things he took from them. Even then, it may take more to earn back that broken trust.