By
Dana Rausch
/ August 28, 2012
I stopped by the job to see my husband one hot summer day dressed in shorts and a tank top. He was remodeling a house and asked, “Do you think you could help me move this? It isn’t that heavy.” My husband unscrewed the last clamp as we both held the 12 foot mirror against the wall. Ready? he asked as we each held an end and began moving away from the wall to place it on the floor 15 feet away.
As we moved toward that other wall, the mirror unexpectedly began to buckle. It was more than the two of us could handle. Suddenly as it wobbled, it began to break. The deafening sound was horrendous as it was shattering on the tile floor in this large room. I couldn’t hear Don telling me to let go.
As I turned my face away from the breaking mirror I was still holding a huge piece that was causing me to lose my balance. Before I realized what was happening, the mirror was knocked out of my hand as I was jerked back by Don’s strong arm. The instant silence was eerie while we stood staring at each other in horror.
The room was littered with thousands of pieces of broken mirror. Every surface was affected. The counter, the fireplace mantle, and the tools all had pieces of mirror. Broken pieces had projected into doorways to send pieces far beyond what we imagined. Although bodily we stood intact (Thank God!) the damage was immense.
Reminds me of
TRUST……….
Once shattered the damage is colossal.
For some, it is never repaired. When trust is broken they simply close the door and walk away. Others work trying to rebuild trust, but one day becomes too much to bear and they simply quit.
Psalm 55:12 & 13 says, “Now it is not an enemy who insults me—otherwise I could bear it; it is not a foe who rises up against me—otherwise I could hide from him. But it is you, a man who is my peer, my companion and good friend!”
It’s one thing to not trust a stranger, but to not trust your friend? You have personal involvement with a friend. You have invested something in the friendship unlike with a stranger.
Sadly, friends come in and out of our lives. They may move away, you grow apart, or circumstances that at the time brought you together simply changes. Friendships can be like revolving doors. They come and go. So when trust is broken, you CAN walk away. Yet that is no so true with marriage. It is not as easy to walk away.
I found myself in this position years ago. Trust had been shattered just like that mirror. Looking at all the broken jagged pieces and thinking this cannot be salvaged. It is ruined forever. Feeling empty and despondent, I had lost hope. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” I was truly sick.
Contemplating my options, I considered the effect on those around me. My husband, children, family and friends would all be influenced by my decision. Hopelessness had so enveloped me; it was like peering through an opaque window. I couldn’t see through to the next day, the next week, let alone the following years. But I knew deep in my heart, my choice was of utter importance to everyone involved.
Is it true that trust can ever be regained? Some say never, others say sometimes, while others say maybe…….it just depends on the circumstances. Yet can it truly be regained?
What do you think? Have you ever been in a situation where your trust was shattered? Was ever restored? What did you do?
Tomorrow, I will share the rest of my story…………