3 Effective Ways to Build a Bridge of Trust In Marriage

In marriage, I have learned that trust is the lifeblood of the covenant shared between couples. It takes a daily effort of honoring your covenant to continually build trust for growth in your marriage. I have learned being married for eight years to a wonderful husband that spouses must be willing to step outside of their comfort zones to be salt and light, as bridge builders in relationships (Matthew 5:13-16).
Bridges are very important structures that are designed to connect things together such as land, roads, bodies of water, and passageways for people. The same is true in marriage, when bridges of trust are built with care, couples strengthen their love, trust, faith, and connection to Christ and to one another in their marriage. Every couple can build a bridge of trust in their marriage by using these three key principles that I have learned on my marital journey:

1. Live a life of love and honor.  As Romans 12:10 says, “love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Couples are at their best as bridge builders when they model Christ’s love that influences their marriage. It is from this love, that trust and honor is established.  By spreading the synergies of love and honor, trust supports the bond, which makes your relationship stronger. When modeling Christ’s love, holding your spouse in high esteem will be seen and felt in your marriage. When we display love and honor, our marriages can become opportunities for evangelism and ministry to show unbelievers a true example of godly marriage.

2. Be a person of integrity. Being integral goes a long way in marriage! In today’s world, it is so easy to lose focus of what is most important to marriage. So many couples sabotage their marriages by operating from the premise of doing what feels right to them, without considering godly morals and principles to strengthen their marriage. Hebrews 13:4 unpacks the importance of honor and integrity, saying “give honor to marriage and remain faithful to one another in marriage.” God showed me that as my husband’s wife and helpmate, I deepen our marital bond by honoring our marital vows and promises. I have learned that this speaks volumes to your spouse, from the demonstration of your faith and virtues of respect, selflessness, fairness, kindness, and honesty.

3. Create openness. Sometimes couples think that opening up can be risky, but this is further from the truth. Building a bridge of trust requires openness because it develops humility and an earnest drive to build an honest connection with your spouse. As we openly live out Christlike values in marriage, God promises to lead us in what is right and teach us His way (Psalm 25:9). The growth from openness will be loving communication, helping spouses to trust, appreciate one another, and affirm each other’s importance in marriage.

Building a bridge of trust and integrity in marriages is crucial. God designed marriage for couples to be authentic, committed to becoming more like Him and glorifying Him in every part of marriage. As bridge builders in marriage, making the commitment for trust and integrity as a daily priority will cause your marriage to thrive and experience an overflow of God’s joy and love continually.