Trust
“firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.”
Re·stored
“bring back or re-establish.”
One of our friends asked if we could help out a husband and wife who were having financial issues in their marriage due to their cultural differences – the wife was Greek and the husband was German. We quickly realized that whenever they discussed money, the wife would become very expressive, both with her voice and her body. Her husband, on the other hand, would become totally silent, stony-faced, and look away from her while she was speaking.
We decided to meet with them separately so we could understand their true feelings. We realized the issue was simple: they were each talking past one another and competing for the funds instead of working together. The wife had dreams for the money, and the husband had entirely different plans for how he was envisioning spending it.
So, we asked each one of them to write down what the funds were supposed to be used for. After fifteen minutes, we took both sheets of paper, looked them over, and then had each spouse see the other’s answers and give explanations for each. It was eye-opening for everyone!
Honestly, they didn’t have the money to do everything they wanted. Instead, they realized that they had to reach an agreement and start compromising for the family’s good. The end result was beautiful. Once we got them thinking as a family instead of as two individuals, the conversation took a turn for the better. It became about listening, understanding, forgiving, and learning to love each other through how they agreed to use family funds instead of competing for what they each wanted.
In a very vivid sense, they restored the trust that had been broken. A trust holds families, businesses, relationships, and everything that matters most together.
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