He Guides Me When I Take the Time to Allow Him

 

What a comfort that I can be led by Jesus and know that He is my guide. This morning I listened to one teaching of not wallowing in your troubles and definitely not speaking them continuously to everyone. That our words and thoughts should be on the change and solution not on repeating the pity party, The next teaching was on the power of not carrying our burdens alone but the wisdom of sharing with a trusted friend or counselor to gain the direction one needs to move forward. 

At first, I thought these two teachings were polar opposite. Speak of your burdens or don’t you dare share. But the truth is they were both saying the same thing. It is not good to just play on repeat the woes of our lives but to share with a trusted friend and get guidance on how to move forward is powerful. Then there is the sharing of our story and how Jesus guided us even through the hardest times can be a gift to another person who may be walking through the same trauma. 

I love that Psalm 23:1 says the Lord is my shepherd. He is mine. He is yours. It is personal how He shepherds and leads us in life. He is the one that I need to turn to for direction and next steps. Then He will guide me to when and with whom I should share my story for my own sake and theirs. We all need to empathize with one another. But we also need discernment on who to trust with our truths. Speaking to someone in a checkout line may be appropriate if you are talking about the price of vegetables that you both have in your cart. But it may not be necessary to tell them about your bed bugs. Rather you could compliment them on their hair, outfit or choice of crackers. But do they need to be burdened in the five minutes you spend with them about your sleepless night. Maybe there are the right moments to just talk about the weather. 

On the other hand, sharing your faith is never a bad idea. As long as you are not shoving it down someone’s throat but being Jesus in the flesh with your actions. Let love and kindness be the motivation in all you do. 1 Corinthians 16:14. Share your relationship with Jesus by pausing to let someone else go first or picking up the item they dropped. Small acts of kindness and listening are ways to live out His purpose. 

It is true that I share my story, my book, my testimony with strangers. Do they need to know I lost my son to suicide? Maybe not. But I know that my shepherd puts it on my heart who to give a book to. More often than not when I listen and obey it becomes evident that suicide or loss has touched the strangers life. Writing a note to them about how they are impacting others with their smile, kindness or helpfulness is a way to personalize for them my story. This all seems so back and forth. To share or not to share that is the question. I think it really comes down to our motivation for sharing. Are we just wanting others to join our pity party with us as the birthday girl or are we sharing our truth about how Jesus walks with us through life? Are we seeking wisdom and guidance from a friend and confidant or are we gossiping about how someone else wronged us. Perhaps it becomes more clear when we really let Jesus be our shephard and guide us. Hmmmmm maybe a quick check in with Him is key. 

In Him,

Joyful

6-11-25