thinking about trust...

been thinking about trust lately - from a bunch of different angles and situations.

it seems that when we enter into a new situation, people often "trust" you in one of 2 ways...

way #1

i will trust you until you prove yourself otherwise

way #2

i will start trusting you when you prove yourself trustworthy

i've been thinking for a while and wrestling with which one is right and which one is wrong. it very well may be one of those situations where there isn't one way that is right and one way that is wrong...perhaps.

if you think about it... we don't want our kids to live out way #1 too much, or else they'll trust any stranger that walks by and could make themselves vulnerable.

but at the same time, trusting someone until they prove otherwise gives them the benefit of the doubt, keeps you from judging, and prevents you from being called "grumpy gills"...

is there a right one or a wrong one?

i'm not sure... but i do know that in my experience the people who live out way #1 make it way easier and quicker for me to build a relationship with than people who live out way #2.