Don't ask...

...if you won't tell

I had an interesting "almost-encounter" (assuming that compound word exists). I smiled to myself when walking away from the scene, then I decided to write about what I had just seen.
As I put the pieces of this piece together in my mind, the "don't be a busy-body" Bible verses sprang up. Remember the ones I'm referring to? Okay, let me remind you:

1 Thessalonians 4:11 - Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. (NLT)

2 Thess. 3: 11-12 - Now we learn that some of you just loaf around and won’t do any work, except the work of a busybody. ¹² So, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask and beg these people to settle down and start working for a living. (CEV)

Ok let me tell you about my "almost-encounter." I saw someone I faintly know at the airport and almost asked him where he was going. I felt a restraint as I heard the question from within:

"Would you be willing to tell him where you're going if he asked?"

My answer was a very flat "No" - I felt it wasn't his business where I was going, so my dear Friend (the Sweet Holy Spirit) asked: "So why is where he's going your 'busyness'?" I'm sure He did a play on the word so I'd get the point without Him calling me a Busy-body directly. Well, at that point, I did the only thing I should - waved at him in acknowledgement and kept walking...

The takeaway for me, as I walked away, is that it's so easy to want to know things about others and yet not want to share some or similar information about yourself. Now I'm not saying that you should be a "Newspaper" that any and everyone can pick, read and see everything about you. All I'm saying is that, we need to be careful as we seek out (detailed) information about others. There's nothing wrong in asking people you care for about some details in order to pray for them but we need to be clear on our motives...and you also need to be ready to reciprocate with information when asked about yourself. I'll just end this and say: "Don't ask if you won't tell."