“A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!” – Proverbs 15:23 (NIV) Sometimes our words flow as smoothly as water down a mountain, providing refreshment to everyone around us. Those are magical moments, times that draw us close and make our hearts swell with the joy of connection. Other times boulders seem to roll into our lives, cutting off the ease of connection, causing us to rethink our way and work at finding new paths toward the relationship we desire. Does that happen to you? Someone asks you a question, and your mind goes blank. Your child or a friend calls to ask for advice, and a list of possible answers scroll through your head, yet you find it difficult to choose just the right script. They tell you a story, and you’re not sure how to react. A friend shares something sad, and you trip over your words, trying to be sensitive and comforting. I’ve thought about this a lot in the past several days. Last week a friend asked for help with a difficult situation in her life. I suggested something for her to read – scriptures as well as some blogs that might explore how other women applied those scriptures in their lives. We had lunch today. My friend told me she had looked up what I suggested and read everything. “But why did you suggest that? I’m not sure what you thought I would get out of it.” You know what? I don’t know either. Thinking about it as I drove to meet my friend for lunch, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why I felt my suggestion would be helpful. Upon reflection, I realized it was possibly even counter-productive. What was I thinking? I’m not sure. I was in a hurry last week. I wanted to help, but inside felt unsure what to share. But there was this pressure, you know, to make it all better. So instead of admitting I didn’t know what to say, I scrambled to come up with something, ANYTHING… Instead of suggesting we pray together, I tried to be all put together, the wise older woman who had all the answers. You’ve probably never been so silly. I would have been wiser and more put together by being honest and real. I should have told my friend I loved her, didn’t know what to suggest and that I would pray for guidance while I tried to find some information that might help. So let me do that with you today. I don’t know what to say. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say I have some ideas for our parenting but don’t know how to say what’s on my heart. So before we go any further, would you stop and pray with me? Read more…