seas that ebb and flow..
More and more I find the urge to speak the truth which may include an observation (in love or otherwise) truly hard to bridle. It's so bad that I feel a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach most days. I keep getting the "wait for the right time" bath of cold water on my face still but then, the water somehow seems to dissappear the moment it touches my face!
I have held the view that I ought not tell someone something they really ought to know about themselves unless they asked my opinion. I also am wrought with "fear" of saying the wrong thing.. maybe it ain't God's word I am spewing forth, merely my own... hence I almost always instinctively hesitate. Other times, it might take me a day or two to digest things...
Why, Lord, do I now have the urge to speak out so strong? or at least at the moment I think things through? I suppose, it's cos You gave me the breakthrough in the first place? Can I trust these urges?
Many things and people seem to be so so "loose" in their thinking and behaviour these days, like God is that nice guy they know from church who never says or does anything controversial nor exciting. God spells B-O-R-I-N-G or is just a pushover. I feel powerless at times to even say anything, most times simply out of shock! Should I then apologize for speaking the truth in love? I fear God and for those people more...
So, yes, I guess, the seas have to be ebb and flow and I must obey God... that He would "back me up" (as Pastor Mal said today) as I go forth to do His Will, whether it be to be His witness to the Gentiles or to the believers alike. I shall probably quickly lose my supposed "youthful" appeal soon and perhaps end up someone others avoid like a plague! I think prophets in the olden days weren't very popular either....
1 comment:
I find the 'God will back me up' idea interesting and very true. Sometimes, the response from others is not what we desire or hope for. But, I don't think that should be a reason to keep quiet. If God gives us the 'ability' to SEE something that is wrong, and He burdens us to speak it, I suppose our responsibility is to choose our words and the time and the place where the person can feel safe to listen.
People don't always ask for feedback/opinion. They also can be scared to know. I am one such person. But I have always appreciated any feedback anyone gives, especially those I consider trustworthy friends and those I respect and love.
The person you may be writing about may not ask your opinion but he/she may desperately need it. Risk losing your 'young' appeal to one person, or risk letting that person continue in the 'wayward way'.
A few months ago, I made an interesting choice. If I spoke the truth, I may lose the friendship. But if I kept quiet, I was not being much of a friend, allowing the person to continue 'digging their own grave'.
So, I chose to take the risk of losing the friendship by speaking the truth. We're still friends. And there is a deeper level of trust.
But it is a risk. And if it is right, God WILL back you up. Godliness and righteousness aren't popular traits. But those who shun it aren't popular with God. And those who shun you because you try to cultivate it are perhaps not that worth the heartache.
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