"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." Proverbs 24:26
As I was reading this morning that Proverbs hit me. A kiss is so innocent & so sweet(especially from your child)...it brings such joy when I am kissed by my girls...& David's kisses are sweet too. Just last night we were shopping & Abby stuck to me like glue kissing me & saying"your the best mom, I love you"and then she'd give yet another sweet kiss. It brought me joy! Joy beyond what I could ever describe! So, now God is telling me that honesty brings on that same type of joy? Wow!
As I'm slowing reading "Boundaries" by Townsend & Cloud I am being constantly reminded of how little I am truly honest with people. I don't tell lies or anything, I'm just not honest...I don't truly speak the truth. When I'm asked "how are you?" I give them the "I'm great, my life is perfect, I can do everything & ANYthing that comes my way, so there is nothing in my life that is wrong" answer. Ohhhh....kkkk...whatever!
So, why can't I just be honest with people and say, "you know, my life is hard. I struggle daily. Can you pray for me?"
Is this so hard to do? Yes. But God says that I need to be honest. Honest about my limitations, honest about my boundaries(No, I can't do everything), honest when someone askes my opinion, honest to my sweet David, honest to my friends, to my mom...the list goes on & on. When I'm asked about how I feel, I need to tell people. Now, I don't want to be one of those people that spew stuff for no reason at all, those people that are constantly "complaining"...that is not what I speak of. Because God also calls us to have "joyful hearts even during a storm". I'm talking about raw, honest answers. "Yes, I'm hurt because...no, I can't do that for you...yes, I feel sad, lonely, afraid, angry..."God gave us feelings to express them. When we do express them in a loving matter people will respect us even more. They will see that we are true, honest people that they can rely on. And it will help you grow together with other believers. Cool consept.
This is my prayer today...
"Take control of what I say, oh Lord..." Psalm 141:3
May my honest answers be "like a kiss on the lips"
1 comment:
Angie,
I so appreciate what you shared. In my position, I am constantly asking people to do things for the ministry and sometimes I am frustrated by their no's...but I so appreciate when people are honest with me and explain why. I respect that and it has given me opportunities to learn more about their life and to pray for them.
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