Trusting and Showing Trustworthiness: A 3-Day Marriage Planਨਮੂਨਾ

Actions Earn Trust

"If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!" (1 Corinthians 10:12)

The surest way to build trust in marriage is through your actions. Build a record of choices and deeds that prove to your partner you can be trusted at all times.

Take flirting, for example. It may be harmless to show a bit of extra friendliness to a member of the opposite sex. But ask yourself, would my spouse feel comfortable if he or she witnessed this exchange? Would my actions earn trust, or would they raise doubt about my motives?

I, Dr. James Dobson, urge you to be wary of pride in your own infallibility. The minute you begin thinking that an affair “would never happen to me”, is when you become most vulnerable. We are sexual creatures with powerful urges. We are also fallen beings with strong desires to do wrong. That is what temptation is all about. Do not give it a place in your life. My father once wrote, “Strong desire is like a powerful river. As long as it stays within the banks of God’s will, all will be proper and clean. But when it overflows those boundaries, devastation awaits downstream.”

Actions can affect trust in easy‐to‐overlook ways. When you promise to clean out the garage next weekend, make sure you do it. When you agree to limit your spending to a certain amount, follow through. Keeping your word in small matters builds trust in a big way.

Questions for Today...

• Where is the line between friendly interest and flirting?
• What actions do you take that help your spouse trust you?
• How did Jesus establish trust with His disciples?

Prayer . . .

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my example of trustworthiness and integrity. Help me every day to turn away from temptation and compromise. I want to be true in my innermost being. Amen.

(Excerpted from Dr. James and Shirley Dobson’s book, Night Light for Couples. Used with permission.)

Bonus Content: The Comparison Trap

Dr. Dobson warns spouses not to play the "comparison game." There are no winners!