*names are changed
So lately I've been feeling that my blog is getting pretty dry. My blog is morphing into that too happy, repetitive, nauseating Mormon blog that gets ignored instead of pursued. So I'm going to try and make it more real. Many of my experiences will still be about how the gospel blesses my life, but some posts will be mere rantings, others will be about awesome and sad experiences that have nothing to do with the church and some posts will be simple and little clips of my emotions. So here is one of those awesome experiences that doesn't really have anything to do with the Gospel but does involve serving others and trying to be Christ like.
But first some back ground info. I have this gift where I can get people to tell me anything. I don't know how to explain it other than that. What I do is ask people questions. I ask out of sheer curiosity because I am honestly interested. I take this information and ponder it and learn from it. If I talk about the information at all, I keep the persons name and information anonymous and only converse with my friends who are my confidants.
But sometimes I don't even have to ask questions. I have had people just tell me very personal private things after just a few honest questions; even if I don't know them that well. I've asked many different people, "Why do you tell me these things.?" In one way or another they all say that they feel they can trust me and they feel that I won't judge them based on what they are sharing. The reason I think this is a gift is because I don't really have to work at it. The questions naturally come, the curiosity is just there, and I never feel like I have to force people to talk to me. It seems like one question will just set them off. But this gift has been of benefit to me. I've been able to help a lot of people with it.
So with this back ground info, here's the story. *Brittany is one of my best friends. She repeatedly told me how it was hard for her to open up to people but for some reason she could open up to me. So now whenever she has a problem she talks to me about it. Well she was dating *Jason. I didn't know Jason that well and didn't understand him because he is very quiet. Well for various reasons Jason waited wayyyy too long to tell Brittany that he liked her. As consequence, she didn't like him anymore. So she felt bad and called me asking what to do. I told her to be completely honest with her emotions, her self (yes those are two separate things in the world of women), and with him. Even if that meant telling him the truth and ending the relationship.
Minutes later, Jason chatted with me online. Once again, the whole person-who-I-don't-know-very-well situations occurs and he completely opens up to me. He told me how he could tell there was a problem and wanted to know how to fix it. This was a learning moment for me. I realized that I knew information from both parties that both parties didn't know about each other. That is an extremely powerful position to be in. I knew I couldn't betray either of their trusts and I didn't want to completely fix the problem for them because that wouldn't be healthy for their relationship. So being as careful with my words as I could I told Brittany and Jason the same thing: Be honest, communicate and just get rid of the problem instead of stewing about it.
After all was said and done, Jason wrote me a thank you message via online chatting. What made this experience special was receiving the thank you note. I also learned a ton. The quote "with great power comes great responsibility" really came into focus. I knew that if I screwed up at all, there would be big ugly drama and I would be right in the middle of it. I learned more about Brittany and Jason. I had misjudged Jason in so many ways and was grateful to have the record set straight. My friendship with Brittany strengthened and I learned more about her as well. This experience also reinforced how valuable and necessary friendship is in this world. If your friends are struggling, be there for them, be honest with them, help them know of the Lord's love for them, never sacrifice your standards, and always be a confidant. It's hard but the rewards are sweet.
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