Who can you tell?

I am re-reading this great book called Prayer by Philip Yancey. I love it that it has little vignettes every chapter that are written by everyday people. This excerpt is from someone named John. His writing makes a lot of sense to me. It reminds me of how important it is to simply let people tell their story. Let them share their hurts, worries, passions, triumphs and bare their soul. Here are two parts of what John wrote:

"I have a theory that both street people and fundamentalists suffer from attachment disorders. Somehow in childhood they never learned to bond with parents an n ever learned to bond with God either. How can you trust another person with who you are, much less God?"

"We all bear secrets. Those of us fortunate enough to have a spouse, a friend, or someone we can trust, have someone to share our secrets with. If not, at least we have God, who knows our secrets before we spill them. The fact that we're still alive show that God has more tolerance for whatever those secrets represent than we may give God credit for."

"If I'm right about attachment disorders, the best ministry I can offer is a long-term relationship. I tell people that I hand with the poor all day, and that sums it up. I hope that over he years and decades they learn to trust me as someone who can handle their secrets. I hope that trust will gradually spill over to God. And I tell people who encounter the homeless on the streets and are confused at how to respond, that eye contact and a listening ear may be more important than food or money or Bible verses. They need to connect in some small way with another human being."

I think that this applies to all of us - not just the poor. We need people in our life like that. People that can sit and hold our stories no matter what comes out. People that can listen and not fix. People, who by their very presence are saying that "No matter what, I am with you." This doesn't mean that there is never confrontation, accountability, or correction. Quite the opposite. That comes at the appropriate time and in the appropriate context and it should always come from a place of love and humility knowing that as others expose their stories to us we are becoming part of that story and they are becoming part of ours.