The Trust Protocol By Mac RichardMuestra

Day One: Toward Love and Good Deeds

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24

Everything in life that matters radiates out of relationships. From the lunchroom to the locker room, from the bedroom to the boardroom, regardless of the arena or the endeavor, relationship is the coin of the realm. And trust, or credibility, is the tie that binds every relationship, from the most casual acquaintance, to the marketplace, to the most intimate and personal connections of marriage and family. 

In Hebrews 10:24, the Bible challenges us: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” In that simple, one-sentence exhortation, God asserts and reinforces the Trust Protocol, which is essential and fundamental to all he has called us to be and do in relationship with him. The power of this Protocol can even help us point people toward a relationship with Christ before they ever discover that the Bible is reliable. 

What exactly is the Trust Protocol? It is simply this: forging credibility through integrity and action. It is deliberately demonstrating our dependability to the people with whom we live, work, love, and serve—when we excel and, especially, when we struggle. It is backing up our talk with our walk. It is being consistently the same person we were created to be no matter where we are or whom we are with. 

The Trust Protocol calls us to a higher plane of relational responsibility. Instead of assigning blame and fault to others for disasters and disappointments, practitioners of the Protocol assume accurate and appropriate ownership for their role in those failures and learn from their mistakes. Instead of blithely getting through another day of the status quo, the Trust Protocol propels us through intentional interactions that invigorate community, connectedness, and collaboration. This relational responsibility feeds the fire of trust.

The Trust Protocol is hard work. It will get messy. But the work, the mess, the pain and uncertainty along the way—all of it—is absolutely worth it. The Trust Protocol works. Every single time. Whenever we choose to put it into effect, regardless of the context or circumstances, it produces results so powerful, so beautiful, that nothing else compares to it. No exceptions. 

When has someone made an effort to establish credibility with you? How did that affect your relationship?