Whisper

 

“I’m whispering something to you,” she wrote. 

And then she confessed. 

She’d been struggling with a very annoying friend. 

She hadn’t wanted to say anything negative about the friend. 

But she was really struggling. 

And she’d been struggling alone. 

But finally she said what was on her mind and in her heart. 

And it set her free. 

 

In the weeks after she whispered her secret, 

Her attitude changed. 

She started to engage the friend in conversation more, 

And she didn’t get as annoyed with the friend’s behaviors.

The friend hadn’t changed. 

But she had. 

And it’s all because

She allowed light

To penetrate the darkness

Of what she’d been trying to hide. 

 

She was right.

It’s good not to talk negatively about other people.

It’s good to live by the mantra
“If you can’t say anything good, then don’t say anything at all.”

But sometimes, words just need to be whispered.

Whether over coffee, or via text, or even in a therapist’s chair,

Some words need to be said,

Not to put others down,

Or gossip,

Or slander,

Or lie,

But to lift the heavy burden they’ve become in our souls.

Some thoughts, feelings, and actions need to be confessed,

Not for judgment and condemnation,

But for light and grace and peace and love.

 

That’s what happened with her.

And it changed her.

Maybe it will change you, too.

 

Oh God: May we each of us find spaces where we can safely speak our truths and may each of us be that space for others when the burdens become too much. Amen.