The blessing of healthy, conscientious self-disclosure

When information sharing and prayer request become gossiping, good intention becomes questionable, at least for me, and vulnerability goes oh, no! The life supporting benefits of self-disclosure and information sharing which is necessary for cementing healthy relationship, be it personal, occupational or social. There are things of course that is only God’s territory, as God knows for sure how to handle a fair judgement and assessment that leaves human spirit and integrity intact.

I used to really believe that being accountable meant that trust is never broken and so I used to be unguarded and unafraid to genuinely inquire about how people are doing. The fear of inappropriate exposure and the needless shame of experiences gloss priceless life transforming mutual self-disclosure. This to me is the deadliest infection that plagues mankind, because each person experiences can help one another.

I have lamented about holding back helpful information or even my own fear of coming across as prying because I know all too well the discomfort of feeling burdened of judgement and of feeling challenged of knowing when to share relevant life stories and when to stay quiet instead of fabricating the truth. Because of my desire for healthy relationships I continuously pray the Serenity Prayer because I had been overloaded with distrust and become very guarded. I need to find and maintain balance in all areas of my life. I accept that people come into my life a reason and I am in people’s life for a reason and those meant to be in my life for a lifetime will stand the test of time. Sometime the reason I think or expect someone is in my life is totally not as I think or expect.

The fact is, we are all social creatures and need relationships- genuine relationship; and so I aspire to be fully present and accept that each person is being the best s/he can be at any given time.

So help me God!