Have you ever depended on someone who said they would be at a certain place at a designated time and they never show up? Or have you relied on someone who says they will help you when you truly need it and they don’t follow through? Or someone makes a promise to you of something they will do for you and then they don’t do it?
It used to annoy a couple of my daughters when their friends would say, “Let’s have lunch sometime” and never follow though. I’m sure you’ve experienced the frustration as I have when someone says they will help you, give you something or do something for you and they don’t end up doing it.
We create expectations with our words and when we don’t follow through, we disappoint people. Ultimately this harms us too because we lose favor with them.
It’s one thing if it happens occasionally because most of us have times when we may over promise and under deliver. However, if it happens on a regular basis, people will stop trusting your word and it will harm the relationship.
Reliability is important in relationships. If this is an issue for you, here’s a couple of tips to help you be more reliable.
- Be careful with your words and commitments until you are sure you can follow through.
- Be cautious not to over commit. Sometimes your desire may be to help someone or do something for them but think it through before you commit.
- If you can’t keep a commitment, let the person know with a phone call, email or in some way.
Trust is important in building and maintaining relationships and can prevent relationship problems and conflict.
“Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.” Proverbs 25:19 (NIV)
What have you learned about trust in relationships? Let me know, in the comments below.