A Woman of Understanding

"A man of understanding remains silent." -- Proverbs 11:12 b

I've been thinking about journaling lately. Mainly because I've recently read an article by Nancy Wilson on the subject, and also heard her mention it in a workshop she gave at the ACCS Conference on "Raising a Writer." Nancy admonished us to "not write anything down that we wouldn't want everyone to read." That's a tall order! A challenge to be careful what we put in emails or on the web ... you never know when you might hit the wrong button (or how someone else may share or forward your words); and to be careful about what/how you journal.

I'll link Nancy's original article below. But first, I wanted to highlight her daughter Rebekah's post on the topic. Rebekah mentions the pitfall of using a journal as a form of venting. She writes (emphasis mine):

The thing is, writing it down is NOT the same thing as confessing it. But it can give a sort of counterfeit feeling of relief. It’s not the relief of having your sins washed away, erased, and removed as far as the east is from the west. It’s the relief of having vented and gotten something off your chest – and that’s not the same thing, although it could be mistaken for it. ---Rebekah Merkle on Femina blog

(This fits well with Elisabeth Elliot's 'Rule of Contentment' #1: Allow yourself to complain of nothing, not even the weather.)

Read Rebekah's post here; then go back and read Nancy's original post. Thanks, Femina gals, for this bit of wisdom. May we all strive to be women of understanding, who have the discernment to know when & what to share with others, and when to keep our confidence and pray instead.

***update***Nancy just posted a great follow-up article. Check it out here!