I think it’s safe to say that most of us have a difficult time trusting people who have betrayed us. It can be as simple as someone coming to us with stories of others that shed a negative light on them. It’s a pretty safe bet that if they share stories that shed a negative light about others, they are apt to reveal our secrets too.

Years ago I was part of a Ladies Morning Out group and I have always hesitated joining these groups, because I have had a few experiences where prayer requests were disguised as gossip, making the whole experience feel unsafe. The heart behind the ‘prayer request’ wasn’t pure or honorable. It was to spread a negative light on someone. This has always bothered me. These groups are supposed to be a safe place to do life together, to share and build each other and others up. So, when joining this Ladies Morning Out group, I was really hesitant until the facilitator of the group laid down a couple of ground rules including the fact that there is zero tolerance for gossip in any and all forms. Wow! This was a game changer. It felt like we had just entered a ‘safe zone’. A zone of trust.

It’s a good reminder to me, to remember how important it is to me to be able to trust others. I also need to make sure that I am being a trustworthy person.  One of the people that I trust the most in this world feels so incredibly trustworthy to me because, when I have asked questions they know the answer to but can’t tell me because it might break someone else’s confidence, I know without a doubt that I can trust them with my deepest thoughts. To hear the words Yes, I know more about this, but I can’t talk about it because I don’t have permission to, says so much about someone and the trust you can have in them. That is something for us to look up to; something to strive towards. Those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.