Broken Trust

Trusting someone takes so much out of you. First there is the faith that they can be trusted then it is the letting go of the vision, the issue or the point. It can be exhausting! Then there is the mistakes in trusting...the ones that destroy lives, change pathways, put up walls and simply break relationships. However without trust... there cannot be relationship. So, what do you do? Do you forget the lessons of broken trust, blindly allow another person to have your trust? Do you keep a open mind and an open heart? Or do you run everything and everyone through the filter that has been created out of your broken trust?

There are some people in your lives that you trust without any hesitation. That is until the trust is broken and then it is like pushing a snowball up a hill to get that trust back. These relationships are between parents, siblings, lovers and friends. They start out so enjoyable. The words that are said all seem true, the actions are justifiable and the trust flows out like a river of life. Then something becomes unclear. A child's story just does not make sense, or a friend hasn't really achieved a success they claimed and a your love doesn't follow through with their commitment to you. What do you do here? If you are the one breaking the trust or the one who has had trust broken, you are in a quandary of decisions. Do you let it go? Do you confront the person and risk hearing the truth? Do you hold bitterness in your heart? What do you do? Then the ultimate question arises.... HOW do you ever trust them again?

Well, sometimes you will never be able to trust them again. Sometimes the brokenness cannot be rebuilt without it becoming something completely different. Kind of like taking a clay vase, breaking it adding the water of forgiveness and then creating a decorative platter or set of coffee mugs. They can still bring you pleasure and a relationship, but the original design is gone forever. If we are to have any sort of relationship we must be willing to accept the change. And in the same token, the person changing must be willing to accept that the person they broke trust with might have enough platters or coffee mugs in their lives. Maybe you were special and now you are ordinary. You are in their life, but you will never hold the same place in their heart that you once did. There becomes a mutual respect and understanding for what happened and how to move on.

Then there are the transformation's that are so amazing! You started off as a clay vase in someones life. Then the worst happened, trust was broken and your relationship is no longer the same. You both add in the creative waters of forgiveness and then the master steps in. He takes your brokenness, he takes your raw clay formed from the forgiveness and the dust of your relationship. Then he sits down at the wheel of life and creates the most amazing vessel! Sometimes these vessels come from the clay of one broken relationship that is restored, and sometimes they come from bringing the dust from one person  and the dust from another altogether to mix in the clay.This vessel is then put into the fire of controversy and endures the pain from the burn the fire brings. Then it is cooled and the firing process begins again, and again and then again. You both endure the pain, the hardship that comes from walking the road to creating something so beautiful that there cannot ever be another. You are now ready for the color of life and relationship. The master paints the vessel and then it is ready to enjoy. It can be broken again if you are not careful, but both of you understand the beauty and the pain from the brokenness that you treasure your vessel together. Every little nook and cranny is precious to you. Trust is rebuilt and made new. Open minds, open hearts loving life and learning from past mistakes. Trust is earned but real deep loving trust is a gift that must be given and one that must be protected. If not, then the dust from the desolation just blows your life around without any purpose and broken vessels stay broken.