Honesty Builds Relationships

At the heart of all relationships is trust. Where there is trust, there is plenty of space for each person to bring their perspectives, share ideas and have the quality of the thinking, rather than the power of personality, determining ways forward. Being honest with ourselves and others creates space for trust to grow. Use of ‘I’ statements rather than ‘you’ helps us to tap into the biases and personal needs that we may be bringing into relationships. Pausing and recognising our own limitations and being honest with ourselves means we are more open to taking on new ways of thinking and being.

When relationships become challenging, recognising the mistakes, fears, biases and values that we are bringing into the context is the first step to moving forward. Acknowledging mistakes and fears provides the basis for new conversations to flow. God invites us to prayerfully reflect on our interactions with each other and to seek forgiveness where we have made mistakes. God connects with our honest brokenness and restores us through His grace and love.