Building Trust

Without trust, no relationship can thrive. Trust is the belief that your partner has your back, that they'll do what they say, that you're safe with them emotionally and physically. It's built slowly through countless small moments and can be damaged in an instant through betrayal or dishonesty.

Trust isn't just about big things like fidelity. It's about the small daily choices: being where you said you'd be, doing what you said you'd do, keeping confidences, showing up consistently. These small deposits build the foundation.

How Trust Is Built

Consistency: Being reliable over time. Doing what you say you'll do, repeatedly.

Honesty: Telling the truth, even when it's hard. No secrets, no half-truths.

Follow-through: Completing commitments. Your word means something.

Vulnerability: Opening up creates trust. Being trustworthy with what she shares builds it more.

Repair: When trust is damaged, addressing it quickly and fully.

Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets. Every time you do what you said you'd do, a drop is added. Every lie or broken promise pours some out. Guard it carefully.

What Erodes Trust

• Lies, even "small" ones
• Broken promises and forgotten commitments
• Hidden behavior or secrets
• Saying one thing and doing another
• Not following through
• Being unreliable or unpredictable

Trust and Intimacy

Your wife can only be vulnerable to the degree she trusts you. Emotional intimacy requires safety, and safety requires trust. If she doesn't trust you, she'll protect herself, and the marriage will hit a ceiling it can't break through.

Your Action Steps

This week: Do what you say you'll do. Every time, no exceptions.

This month: Eliminate any area of deception, no matter how small.

This quarter: Ask your wife how much she trusts you and what would increase it.