Secrets...

I used to think I was the worst secret keeper...oh, I could keep good secrets about anyone - (disclaimer - high school, it's hard to keep secrets. Too much stuff going on; now seminary... seminary is the place you get to learn to keep great secrets! :) I consider myself NOW to be a better secret keeper about others, but I am still the world's worst secret keeper about myself! Isn't that odd? For instance, when I first found out I was pregnant (no, not now, back almost 3 years ago...I probably just gave my friend Michelle a big heart attack) I wanted to tell someone, just anyone, just one person. Well, some of you know whom I chose, I will not mention who it was to protect her and me. Once I told one person I thought I would be okay, but nope it didn't work like that. Now, that's a great thing to not keep secret (at least in my mind), but what happens when someone like me has a bad secret, like, oh, I dunno, haven't read my Bible in months (not happening currently, but has happened in the course of this marriage), not spending time with my husband, not honoring him, not nurturing my child, etc. Those are not good secrets to have and how quickly would I want to share those with others...uh, DUH! Not at all...but you know what...it's still evident in my life.
I read a devotional the other day and it sunk into my inner most depth of the woman I am. It was about a couple whose wife had shared a prayer request about her husband, not horrible, just an appointment he was having, and a lady in the group went up to her husband only to leave him with 20 minute earful of her family member who had the same issue. The husband was crushed, but the wife, even more so. She apologized and they were able to laugh it off, but some things aren't that easy. The marriage covenant you make with your husband or wife is an exclusive relationship. There are just certain things you talk about that no one else should know about, even your closest family members. I read this devotion on the eve of us leaving for the marriage retreat last weekend...I wish I could have copied that devotional and gave a copy of it to each of those ladies. It was that good.
I have known too many women who have not heeded the words from Proverbs 14:1:

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands."

I hope that grabs you right where you are today. Do what the Lord considers wise in building your house. Some believe that's to stay at home with your kids, others believe it's to work when the Lord calls you to. Ask the Lord what He deems right in building your house. More importantly, ask the Lord what He deems in your life that is tearing your house down.
In Christ-
Karen