John 4:17-18 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

Ever had a conversation where someone shares things you wish they had not? TMI, too much information, usually occurs with friends or casual acquaintances who are unabashed or have no sense of what is appropriate. That makes me uncomfortable. How about you? But why?

There are things I don’t want people to know. I only share them with my wife and accountability partner. Those things are usually confessions, reached by repentance associated with conviction. When people share things I deem worthy of confession, I have that moment within myself where I feel like I am being judgmental. I don’t want to judge others, but when things I consider sinful are published in front of me, I have feeling about them. Those feeling usually cause my discomfort.

I doubt that TMI people have an awareness of my discomfort. Perhaps they don’t care. There are some who like to make people uncomfortable. Shock jockey is a title that came about because of the boldness of some sinners to push their willingness to sin in your face. I avoid them. I care not to encourage such behavior. Others enjoy it, I do not.

At the other end of the spectrum is the wounded warriors. They are hurting. They have been damaged by the battle with the enemy. They do not want to talk about their wounds. They suffer in silence. Satan wounds our spiritual warriors. If we do not find a way to heal those wounds, Satan has caused us to be less effective. Like the woman at the well that wasn’t willing to share her past, Jesus knows. Notice His response, “Thou hast well said”. No judgment, acceptance, truth spoken in love.

This is something I need to practice more in my personal ministry. The largest issue in practicing mercy and grace in communication is you need a willing participant. People who are wounded often do not want to talk about painful issues. The healing cannot begin without exposing those wounds to the light of truth. Honesty cannot be used without trust. Trust only comes from relationship.

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

You cannot do that alone. Share your pain.