“Those who know your name trust in you,for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
To say I’m behind in my reading stack is a gross understatement. Howover, over the holidays I finished Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson. What a great book! Ever since I read her O’Malley series, she’s been a favorite author of mine. I found myself thinking about the main character, Ann, long after I finished the story. What stood out to me about Ann was her strength of character. She was a person who enjoyed her privacy and gave that same consideration to everyone she knew. I thought, “Am I like that?” and sadly I had to answer, “Not all the time.” The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to me to be that type of person.
I want to be a friend who encourages and builds up those I’m with. I want to be a wife and a mom who is very selective in who I tell the struggles I’m dealing with to and make sure I don’t unintentionally say anything that would embarrass anyone I love. I want to be a friend who people enjoy getting together with and know it will be a time of laughter and fun without worrying I will spread their struggles around in the name of “praying for so and so.”
Do I strive to be this type of person? Yes. Do I fall short sometimes? Yes. God gave me the gift of gab. My parents describe me as a late talker, but “once she started, she hasn’t shut up since.” I believe He gave me that gift to encourage and build up others which I want to continue doing. However, I don’t want to ever encourage one friend at the expense of another friend’s feelings…or my children or my husband.
My prayer is that my friends and family will see positive changes in me in the upcoming months. I will continue to encourage, offer to pray alongside, and listen while being even more aware not to divulge another’s struggle in the name of “helping.” I want those who know me and who interact with me to have full confidence that what is told to me, stays with me. I’ve always striven to keep confidences, but I’m ready to take it to the next level. I’ve decided a good rule of thumb for me to live by is this: I can always share something later with a person if God so directs, but I can never completely remove a comment, question, or remark from someone’s mind once I’ve said it.
My goal is to think more carefully before opening my mouth to begin with. Because, after all, when I say, “You can trust me,” I want solid proof through my actions to back up those powerful words. As important as it is to me to offer that gift to my friends, it means even more to me for my husband and children to know unwaveringly that his wife and their mom has their back.
©2014 Cheri Swalwell