Keeping It Real

I am always fascinated (?), shocked (?), amazed (?), appalled (?), when people we are intimately connected with, whether it be family or close friends, choose to avoid just talking about important issues. I guess my perspective comes from having gone through some pretty tough things in life and coming to the realization that it's just so much better if you just get real with those you care about. To me, life is toooo short for game playing or avoidance hoping that it will all just go away. I can't imagine just not talking to someone when there is something that needs to be dealt with even though the conversation may be uncomfortable.

Relationships are my priority. To me it's what life is all about. I value those that God has placed in my life enough to be real with them. To be perfectly honest, I have come to the place where I mostly cut my losses with those who have chosen to be less than genuine and honest. Not that everything has to be said in a relationship, but the more I experience and learn in life, the more I know that life is too short to play games with the things that matter. And not that EVERYONE shouldn't be offered grace when we are less than our best in a relationship, but at some point we must face the music with each other if the relationship is to survive.

I think about Jesus and how he always got real with people. He didn't always say what they wanted to hear and he was willing to have those hard conversations. Pastor Glenn recently posted some great guidelines as to when to NOT say something. But there is a flip-side and times when we need TO say something. Especially with those close to us.

I'm left pondering this delicate balance..... It's interesting that more than one of the blogs I follow have addressed this "to say or not to say" issue this week. Must be a universal concern. More pondering......