Share With Caution

Most of us were taught as children to share. We were taught to share our toys or whatever we had when others were in need. We were taught to share with our friends and with those less fortunate than we were. Often we were rewarded if we shared. Many times when we shared we felt good about what we did and would run to tell our parents so we would receive praise and recognition.

As teenagers, we were encouraged to share our thoughts and feelings. Some of us had no problem doing that but we weren’t always rewarded because we didn’t always share words our parents wanted to hear. However, most of our parents encouraged us to share our thoughts and time with them instead of running to hang out with friends every chance we got.

It is not surprising, as we grow older, that the practice of sharing remained in our heads. For many of us, the things we often share are things about others which probably needed to remain in private. The things we share with others are too often things to make us look good or things to make others look bad. We still want that recognition and praise we were rewarded with as children so we share whatever brings attention to us. We need to be sure what we share with others brings peace rather than dissension.

Matthew 5:9 “God blesses those who work for peace , for they will be called the children of God.”

It is important we learn quickly what needs to be shared and what needs to remain private so we can be peacemakers for God. When we are working for peace , we have to be careful about what we share with others. We have to be mindful about what actions we take. When we are working for peace, we have to be sure what we say and do is what God wants.

God does want us to share. We read that in the Bible. We hear it in church. We see examples of others sharing every day. We just need to be mindful about what we share. We need to be careful and choose our words so when we share stories, the people involved do not get hurt. We need to be careful when we share kindness we choose our words so others will not see us as judgmental. We need to be careful when we share love others will not see us as manipulative.

It is important when we do share we are sharing God’s work and we are working toward His will. It is important when we share God’s word, what we say and do are the things He has planned for us to do. Our focus should only be on sharing what is of God. When we are tempted to share things that are not of God, we need to go to Him and ask Him to help us restrain from doing anything until He is ready. We need His help to be sure what we share is what He wants us to share.

We shouldn’t share with others for the earthly rewards and recognition we will receive. We need to be careful about the words and stories we share so we are not hurting other people just to make us look good. We need to be careful about the things we share and not be so concerned about being first at sharing the news. The things we share should bring peace. The things we share should be of God so we can make a difference.

James 3:18 “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”