“A truth about someone that is hurtful needs to be buried and never shared.” ~ Jim Hershey

 I realize that there are exceptions to this statement. There are exceptions to many truths in life. One challenge is we tend to forget that sharing a harmful truth needs to be an exception and over time an exception can become a bad habit in our lives. Imagine our lives if we learned to avoid sharing something bad about one another? Imagine our lives if we focused on finding the good in life and in each other?
  I first remember seeing and learning an inspirational quote on the kitchen wall of my incredible, mother-in-law, Gladys Blackburn Heath. The quote, “When you look for the good in others you discover the best in yourself” ~ Martin Walsh. WOW!  Gladys was the poster child for living this strongly held belief of hers. She always found a way to see the good in others. And I am not exaggerating. She ALWAYS did this. I have never met anyone in this life that seemed more comfortable finding the good in any situation and in any person. She did it with incredible grace and apparent ease. I regret never having the opportunity to ask Gladys if she had to work at this to become so good at it. She passed away over a decade ago, but her example and influence will inspire me and those who knew her well for a lifetime. I believe this core belief and part of her character is ONE of the most important reasons her influence on others has been so powerful.
  I see people every day who want to be different. They choose a variety of ways to be different. They choose to look differently, to dress differently or to make statements that make them seem very different. Perhaps they live a life that is truly the road less travelled. I am not being critical of any of “these” ways of being different. That is not my place and certainly not a good example for me to set for someone to look for the good in others. What I am saying is that I saw an example in someone else’s life that had such an impact on me that I don’t want to EVER forget the difference she made. If we will choose to be different by looking for the good in others and by refraining from sharing hurtful truths about others, we might just become someone that is easy to remember for a very remarkable and positive reason.
  My focus today is not meant just to be on Gladys. She was such a humble and gracious person, I don’t believe she would want this message to focus solely on her. In fact, she was amazingly good at making you feel like YOU were the most person in the world when she spent time with you. She always found a way to offer encouragement and make you feel good about yourself. She was a great listener. My point today is to focus on setting ourselves apart by doing something simple, yet not easy, something that gives us a way to help others just by being with them. I am offering encouragement to discipline ourselves to find ways to see the good in others. When we begin doing this, we will not only help others, I believe the Lord will work on our hearts ultimately making us feel so much better about ourselves. It is in giving that we receive…
  I remember a time when I found myself sharing a story with two close friends that was not so flattering about someone I was once close to. I was justifying why this man could not be trusted. As I finished telling the story, I felt ashamed that I had shared something that would not help those I told and would surely hurt the person I was speaking of if he knew I told this truth about him. Yes, everything I said was true. I described what happened just as it had happened. Afterwards, I asked God to forgive me and I asked my friends too. But, here is a tough truth: Even though I have been forgiven for my mistake, I still hurt others with my carelessness. And even if I find the courage to tell him what happened and apologize to him, I am determined to avoid hurting others. I hurt myself too. There is a much better way to “warn” others to be careful trusting someone than to spread more dirt around. Remember the words from the old George Strait song, “Every time you throw dirt on her, you lose a little ground.” This is true for all of God’s creations. We are called to love one another. “By this, they will know you are my disciples that you have loved one another.”~ paraphrased from John 13:35
  I am determined to be more careful today and in the future. I am determined to see the good in others so that I might discover the best in myself. And to repeat my own quote, “A truth about someone that is hurtful needs to be buried and never shared.” I am determined to be His disciple. In order to do so, I must let go of my bad habits and replace them with better ones.
  Gladys Heath, if you were with us this day, I would thank you again for the example you set for us. I would thank you for inspiring me to be a better person. I hope that others will be inspired by my sharing with them a little glimpse of you today. You were a great disciple in my life for whom I will be forever thankful.  Jim