While James spends quite a bit of time warning his audience about the problems with speech, he also encourages it. In this second video of the Wise Words series, I talk about what I noticed when outlining his references to speech.
If you missed my introductory video, you can find it here. And here’s a link to the blog post that I mention in the video about confession.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about either the video or the blog post. Have you found confession to be powerful in your life? How do you see prayer, praise, and confession helping to build our communities and relationships? Or do you not see them that way? I’m looking forward to learning from you!
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© 2019-2024 Jennifer Brown Jones
Life Beyond #Blessed 
Thank you, Jen. I absolutely love what you write and say.
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I’m glad you’re finding it helpful!
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Oh, the thoughts! Here, I am confronted with the question: Why do I not trust my confession to those around me, especially my immediate church family (whichever church that may currently be)? And I realize it’s because of how I see the confessions of others used in practice. I have seen the hurt that comes after a confession of something as simple as a struggle or illness. Who can I trust to handle my own struggles and illnesses, much less my confessions on sin?
Which leads me to two questions:
1) Am I following the lead of those around me and cutting myself off from being a trusted sister, or am I demonstrating an openness that lets others know they can trust me?
2) Am I actively seeking those I can trust for this kind of confession, or am I choosing to keep the “me and God, we got a good thing going” mentality that closes me off from community?
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Amen, sister!
Confession is tough. It’s essential, but tough. I think we’ve all seen cases where people use confessions against others. That makes it even harder to take the step of humbling ourselves to do it.
I love your questions and I need to ask them myself. Another thing we might consider is praying that the Lord will do a work in us and in our communities that they may become healthy places to grow. Maybe part of an initial confession is to confess our hesitation to this step of obedience? In such a conversation, maybe we could express our reservations while still admitting the problem? Just some initial thoughts. Do you think that might be a helpful starting place if we aren’t personally in a position to speak or teach on the issue?
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Hmmm…yes, I do think we need to confess our hesitation. But, can we do that as a whole church body, or should we start by developing trust in a small group first? Such a tricky thing when the culture of the community is gossip rather than support and confession!
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Personally, I would think that starting with a trusted individual or individuals is the wise first step. Not everyone needs to know everyone else’s business. Thinking about what it would have looked like in the early church context might be a way to start thinking about it. Trusted listeners and pray-ers – that’s what we all need!
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