Fill The Gap With Trust... Reduce Stress

I previously posted a thought on trust in relationships.  Click here to read the entire post.

Andy Stanley, during a recent conference, listed some decisions and commitments we need to make in order to work together as a team. One of those commitments is

"When there is a gap between what I expect and what I experience, I will fill it with trust."

On a practical note, where can we apply this commitment in everyday life so we minimize the stress that conflict can have on us as people helpers?

• When I'm behind a car that has plenty of time to turn left in front of an oncoming truck yet refuses to go... I can have suspicion ("Why won't they go? Don't they know I'm in a hurry?! How incompetent!")... or I can have trust ("I wonder if they've been in an accident with a truck before. I'll take this time to pray for them.")

• When a co-worker doesn't return a sensitive/confidential email all day... I can have suspicion ("They're mad at me. I bet they're going behind my back to talk to others about the email message I sent them in confidence.")... or I can have trust ("They must be busy today. Even though they normally return emails promptly, there must be a dozen reasons why they couldn't this time.")

• When a friend walks right by me in Wal-Mart and doesn't say hello... I can have suspicion ("They are so into themselves. Didn't they even see me? Are they too good to say hello?")... or I can have trust ("They just didn't see me, I'm sure.")  ...NOTE: Why not say hello yourself in that situation anyway???

Here's the deal - the more we fill the gap (between expectation and experience) with suspicion, the more we hurt ourselves because of the increase in unnecessary stress. Fill the gap with trust (or, if necessary, talk it out with the other person) and ensure you are Serving Strong!