“Honest communication is not detailing the hardship you’re going through and letting all the people around you know how tough you have it. Complaining leads tends to drive people away and to attract you to other complainers, which is far from healthy and helpful.”- Paul David Tripp
As Paul David Tripp continues Chapter 13 of Suffering, he discusses the second and third steps to admit your need and open the door to God’s warehouse of provision.
2. Determine to be honest. Rather than complaining, you need to engage others in honest communication about how you’re handling your adversity. Thus, you need to be humbly honest about the spiritual battle underneath your physical travail. Hence, that allows the brothers and sisters around you to assist you in fighting your spiritual battle.
Thus, Pastor Tripp counsels, doesn’t mean that you buttonhole everyone you meet. But do approach those people who truly know you and love God. Of course, none of your true friends substitute for your Messiah, Jesus. Yet, Jesus uses them at critical moments in your spiritual battle to provide comfort, strength, and counsel.
3. Let people interrupt your private conversation. You talk to one specific person all the time about everything in your life. And that person’s opinions, interpretations, responses, beliefs, biases, perspectives, and viewpoints carry great weight. That person is you.
You possess incredible impact with yourself. Because you talk to you more than anyone else does. However, in the midst of travail, it’s hard to tell yourself what you need to hear.
Therefore, Pastor Tripp exhorts, you need to invite wise and loving people to eavesdrop and interrupt your private conversation. And, the author stresses, friends aren’t there to hurt your feelings. Instead, they give you what you can’t give yourself – sweet grace from God’s hand.
Today’s question: During your adversity, do you drift toward honest communication or complaining? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The grave danger to sufferers”
