Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Rebuilding trust in your marriage, after your partner has been unfaithful, requires transparency as the first step.
Transparency is the ability to share all aspects of your life with your partner openly--without the weight of secrets.
After trust in a marriage has been broken, a period of unprecedented transparency is in order. Rebuilding trust will require consistency and a willingness to cast off all suspicious patterns and behaviors. Transparency will act as a light that dispels the shadows of doubt and suspicion.
If the offending partner is unwilling to change his deceptive behavior, there is really no way forward. But, if both of you are committed to trusting each other again, setting up the expectation for transparency will initiate the healing.
Check in with each other more throughout the day, either through texts or calls. Share pictures of events you’re attending to reassure your partner that you are where you say you are. Cut out the hiding--cut out the secrets, lies and deception.
These measures won’t always be necessary but they’re a great place to start.