Unspoken

A person’s head could go spinning thinking of all the pinky promises and “cross my hearts” that accumulate over a lifetime. Large families don’t always allow for much privacy; chances are, if you thought it, someone heard it. Being the youngest, it was often assumed I would “spill the beans” on everything – but even so, we learned we could go to our parents and share the secrets of our hearts. In fact, we were encouraged to do so.
That encouragement came alive for me when I was 10. Mom decided to trust me with a secret of her heart. While having her rings cleaned at the local jeweler, she spotted a diamond she said was made for Dad. Of all the people she could have told, I was the only one to know her secret.
Every Saturday, after the bills were paid and the groceries bought, Mom and I went to Main Street to make a payment. I held that secret closer than any pinky promise ever made. Week after week, I carried it quietly – until one Saturday, with the final payment, the ring was hers to give.
That evening, Mom prepared a special meal. When I set the table, she slipped the ring beneath Dad’s plate without a word. As he lifted it, he discovered the small gift box. Looking back, I still see the surprise on his face – the joy in my mother’s eyes. The ring was perfect, and Dad received it with the love it was given.
There are so many lessons woven into our ordinary lives if we are willing to slow down and see them. In that small breath of time, I learned what it meant to trust and to be trusted – and that some secrets, held close to the heart, unfold exactly when they are meant to be revealed. There is a grace in patience, a quiet wisdom in waiting, and a deep joy in seeing a treasured secret bloom at just the perfect moment.
Just as Mom trusted me with a secret of her heart, God invites us to bring our deepest thoughts, our longings, and even our worries to Him. Some of these we share only in the quiet of prayer, unspoken to anyone else. Jesus Himself often withdrew in secret to pray, stepping away from the crowds to speak heart to heart with the Father (Matthew 14:23).
And yet, at times, He invited a few trusted companions – Peter, James, and John – to stand with Him in the weight of His most tender moments, on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–9) and later in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46). Even Jesus knew the wisdom of discernment: some burdens are carried alone with the Father, some are shared with trusted friends, and some are simply held. Mary, too, understood this kind of faith – Scripture tells us she pondered these things regarding her Son in her heart (Luke 2:19). She didn’t rush God’s promises or demand immediate understanding, but trusted the unfolding.
So it is with us. Some prayers are whispered and never spoken aloud. Some hopes are tucked away, waiting for God’s perfect timing. Some answers arrive as quiet surprises, revealed only when our hearts are ready to receive them. In the secret place, God is at work – shaping, preparing, and unveiling His plans in ways more beautiful than we could imagine.
When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly Matthew 6:6.

Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.