Who Can I Talk To?

Discovering Ruth Q & A  10-21-26

Q:   When I’m going through a difficult situation, how do I know that I can trust someone else enough to tell them about it?

A:  It’s true that when you’re going through a problem, you don’t want to be talking about it to just anyone. 

For example, being a leader or pastor, I’ve found that I usually don’t want to talk about my problems with the people I’m shepherding. People often put their leaders up on a pedestal, so they might not be in a place where they can handle it well if that leader tells them about something wrong.

Another thing to think about is how the person who you’re planning on telling talks. If all they do is talk, talk, talk about other people, then that might be a sign that they’re not the person you should share your deep struggles with. Chances are that if they talk about other people, they’re going to talk about you too.

But God has treasures — beautiful people in the Body of Christ who are there to help and encourage you. 

I remember once in my own life when there were some difficult situations going on, and I really did need to talk to somebody, but I didn’t know who.

Well, God was so gracious, because He brought this lady into my life, a woman who had gone through her own battles and understood a lot of things about life, and what she said to me just opened up my heart: “Denise, if you don’t want to tell me anything, it’s okay. I want you to know I’m here for you.”

Oh, friend, isn’t that what most of us want? We just want to know that there’s somebody there. We know we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, of course, but God also made us to be a body, to need and trust each other. Galatians even commands us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

Friend, if you are carrying a heavy burden — maybe a sickness that has gone on for a long time, financial problems, relational problems, or pain that others have put on you — you do not need to carry that alone. Look out for the people who God has placed in your life, people who are mature and trustworthy, who have already gone through a victory with the Lord, and who can say to you, “I don’t know what you’re going through, but I want you to know that I’m here for you, and I love you.”