Failure to Confide…

One of the urgent needs of our time is misunderstanding; and one of the ways to understand is to communicate. Understanding and communication are essential in all relationships of life: in marriage, in families, in business; among neighbors, among nations, and understanding especially in our own homes⎯understanding of those who are nearest to us, understanding between parents and children. Too many keep things too closely to themselves. One of the surest safeguards is for young people to confide in those to whom they are responsible; to share problems and experiences, plans and purposes; to account for where they are, for the company they keep. This isn’t an intrusion upon privacy, but a safeguard in a responsibility that God has given. There is wisdom in counsel; there is safety in counsel. There is heartache without it. Why should we shut out of our confidence those who have done the most for us, those who should mean the most to us, those who have given us life and cared for us and given us their love? Why should we sometimes seem to trust some quick acquaintance or someone who has no responsibility for us, in place of parents? Why should we brashly and stubbornly decide to go it alone in life? Part of the heritage we have is the experience of the past, which includes the experience of parents. Wise and responsible people take counsel with each other in many matters. And children make many mistakes that could have been prevented when they fail to confide in those who love them, in those who have the greatest interest in them. In counsel with parents, with families, with proved and seasoned friends⎯with those we can trust⎯there is safety and satisfaction, and assurance.