Be Discrete… it’s respectful
At midnight several nights ago, I suddenly awakened. I was overcome by a sense of needing to check on one of my kids.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t asleep.
And God knew my child needed me, and woke me from deep sleep.
Proverbs is considered the “book of wisdom.” Written primarily by King Solomon, it’s the gold standard of “how to behave” in the Bible. It’s main theme is to pursue wisdom. If you’re familiar with Solomon, you’ll remember that he asked God for wisdom – he could have asked for anything, but he asked to be made wise. God loved this. And He made Solomon rich as well.
I love verses that paint pictures – like verse 22, which reads, “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.” I checked the dictionary this morning and found this:
- dis·cre·tion/disˈkreSHən/
| Noun: |
|
Oh, Lord, may today I be a woman of discretion. May I avoid causing offense. May I be trustworthy with another’s confidences.
Few things add gasoline to an already burning fire than gossip and confidences betrayed.
So today, because I haven’t asked my child’s permission (still sleeping) to share with you what God awakened me to assist with, I’ll just make the point that I know from personal experience this one thing: If we pursue God and deeply desire to align our will with His, regardless of what that looks like, He will tell us things we couldn’t possibly otherwise know. The Holy Spirit is real. He is our “helper” and we have access to Him when we spend time in the Word, choosing to align who we are with who God created us to be.
Dare you today to read Proverbs 11 in its entirety, and see what He might reveal to you today. Double dog dare you to share, comment or subscribe. We’re on a journey to come to know Him more deeply through the wisdom of Proverbs – and I apologize for being a little inconsistent of late. I’m still working on that balance issue. J
In my experience, sometimes we get into gossip when we pray about something. Even though there are good intentions, a lot of times we give give more details that are needed and shouldn’t be shared. I have been guilty of it! It happens whether we are praying for our own kids/husband, or someone else. God knows exactly what they need without our good intentioned gossiping.
Thank you so much for this blog!!! It has been such an uplifting and helpful as I struggle with soooooooo many of these issues. It touches me daily!!! I’m obviously a little behind right now, but have committed to catching up soon!
It fits into my life perfectly. At home, my daughters (8 and 9) ask me to show discretion when they tell me something in confidence and not to share with others. And I find it hard sometimes because as a parent, I don’t have the answers and I need to ask others for advice.
Felicia, you bring up an excellent point! It’s not gossip if you are seeking counsel from someone else. Blogging about activities, sharing with friends moms etc., is one thing – asking someone in confidence for help or advice is another. My peeps know where I’m at on this, and they are cool with it. 🙂 I don’t ask to share for specific events, but I have told them on a few different occasions that I might ask for advice without giving too many details. And I always ask permission before blogging, and frequently still communicate such that I don’t identify which kid it is. 🙂 Hang in there, gorgeous! We DO need to seek wise counsel. 🙂
Thank you Nina for all your challenges! You are such a blessing!