Too much talky talky

I learned something today. A hard something. Here's the verse:
Prov 17:9 He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
Yeah, tough one right. This is so hard to practice, but it gets a lot of practice because no one is good at it!! There are some things I am very good at not repeating, of covering out of love for someone else. But then there are those things that are said that I don't even think about as improper to talk about. Yikes. I've really been working on going to the person who is the topic of conversation when something is said that could be harmful. But I am no where near being good at it yet. When I think about talking with people I realize that so many conversations are about others. Why do we do that? Why do I do that? I know much of it is based out of compassion and genuine concern but still, why?
I know as women we are relationally based, we live for relationships, for caring for others, for compassion and companionship. I wonder how often we are repeating matters that could cause a friendship to suffer.
Does that mean we can't seek counsel from others? I don't think so. I think it means we have to be very careful with whom we seek that counsel. Sometimes our best counsel is someone not so close to us, someone who can see the situation more clearly. Sometimes we should seek someone we know has gone thru a similar situation for their counsel. Sometimes out of the blue someone will seek us to give us counsel. That is always so weird!! How do people know? How do people know when we are struggling? Because it shows. It shows on our face, in where we sit, in who we are sitting with or not sitting with, in our tears during worship songs. It shows because sometimes people are really good at watching others and seeing the signs of stress. It shows because sometimes God wants us to step out of our boxes and seek the counsel, or seek to be the counsel to someone.
So cover the offenses so you are showing love, and don't repeat what you are told in confidence because you could ruin a friendship- yours or someone you love. Be someone who is good at counsel and keeping information confidential. Strive for excellence.
That is what I learned today. It's going to be hard striving for that excellence, but I'm gonna strive- and fail, and succeed. Wish me luck! I wish you luck, too.

To Gods heart be true

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue PR 16:1
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. PR 16:9
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. PR 19:21
He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe. PR28:26
When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. PR 29:16

So clearly we can have many ideas ourselves, we can plan the course to fulfill our ideas. We can even keep them in our hearts, and then when we trust the plans we've made we become fools. If however, we take those plans God will give us the words needed, determine our steps, and make it his purpose so it can prevail. We are kept safe when we walk in wisdom.
Finding that wisdom is a whole journey in itself. The verse that is getting me is this: Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

Our wicked hearts and the plans they make. We can quietly make plans in our hearts and keep them to ourselves. We can make plans for other peoples hearts, surely loosing to their own plans. But when we learn to line up our plans with what God has to say those plans can and will be successful. When God is given control of our dreams it means we no longer have to work so hard at figuring out what to do. Simply stated, the plans we need to make are plans to follow the dreams God has given to us and listening for his voice during the process of identifying the dream.

When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. Anyone? Is anyone watching someone thrive in their sin- even seem to be doing well because of it? Right now I am clinging to that promise that we will get to see them fall. Not that I want them to fall, but then we get to help pick up all their pieces.

Pieces of us. We have all had someone who was there to pick up after our fall. I am so thankful God allows us to try again, that he will glue us back together, stronger than we were before, smarter, more usable, more real, more like Christ, because of the falls.

I have this piece that keeps falling. Its the independence piece of me. It is so stubborn and strong it won't even stay where it is supposed to. I get going on a project or whatever and somehow, each time, miss a something special that should have been for my hubby. My piece forgets to completely think things thru sometimes. So I guess it is in the excitement of the service that I 'fall' apart. Yeah, that sums it up pretty well.

So I continue to work on staying in one place, not so many at a time. It's super hard for me. So if I say no- well know you'll know why.