The Requirements for Trust | Session 1 | I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t | Lysa TerKeurst

Welcome to the Six-Session Bible Study: “I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t”

Hello, friends! I’m excited to invite you to the six-session Bible study based on my book, “I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t.” Trust has been one of the most challenging topics I’ve written about. At times, choosing distrust seems like the most responsible option. When someone gives us valid reasons to doubt, we should be cautious. However, we must also avoid becoming so fearful of relational risks that we refuse to trust anyone at all.

This topic is incredibly personal for me, especially over the past two years, during which I’ve navigated numerous unexpected twists and turns. Ironically, despite my desire for consistency and stability, my life has been anything but predictable. However, a beautiful new chapter has begun. For those who follow me on social media, you may know that after being single for several years, God brought an incredible man named Chaz into my life. When you hear me mention him in this study, you’ll understand my journey of learning to trust again in my new marriage.

Honestly, rebuilding trust in my relationships has not been an easy journey. My heart was shattered, and my confidence in my discernment was severely shaken. Even my trust in God was tested as I grappled with my circumstances. I suspect many of you have faced similar harsh realities in your relationships, and you might be wondering how to navigate these feelings. Are there biblical answers? How can we discern who to trust? Is it truly possible to repair broken trust? And what should we do when distrust is the wisest choice?

We will explore these deep questions together, but first, I want to highlight something interesting about human nature: we often trust strangers more readily than the people we know. We trust strangers to fly us in airplanes, drive us in rideshare cars, and prepare our meals in restaurants, often without a second thought. We rely on influencers we’ve never met for product recommendations, and we entrust our money to bankers we hardly know. It’s only when we experience a negative incident that we begin to question our trust.

When one of my daughters was younger, she loved sleepovers with her close friends. However, after a series of negative experiences, she created a “sleepover checklist” and asked me to call the other mothers to discuss it. As awkward as it was for me, her concerns were rooted in reality: a big dog had scratched her, she had endured painful ant bites from sleeping on the floor, and she’d gotten sick from spaghetti at a previous sleepover.

Instead of feeling ashamed for having trust issues, we should acknowledge that these concerns are grounded in real experiences. Throughout this study, my goal is to gently care for your heart as we focus on what to do when trust has been broken.

Join me as we navigate this important topic together!