Treehouse: It's Her Turn, My Guy

Last weekend I went to my ex's house party. I know how that sounds. But things ended clean between us, and when she invited me, I figured why not. So I showed up.

At some point I found myself sitting down with a group of her girlfriends. And instead of doing the thing guys usually do — cracking jokes, steering the conversation, making it about me — I just sat there. For a whole hour. And I listened.

That's it. I let them talk. I let them vent whatever was sitting heavy on their chests. One of them was stressed about her job. One was hurting over family stuff. One just needed to say a hard thing out loud and have somebody nod and mean it. And I gotta tell you — I learned more in that hour than I have in a long time.

Now look, I'm a man. I play ball. I'm not naturally a feelings guy. We're wired different, and I think that's okay. We're vocal, we're stubborn, we've got opinions and we're not shy about them. There's nothing wrong with a man being a man.

But here's what hit me sitting in that circle. Real strength isn't always about talking. Sometimes it's about shutting up and making room. Especially for those of us who follow Christ. Jesus didn't bulldoze every conversation. He sat with people. He listened. He let them be heard before He ever said a word.

I don't have to agree with everything those women said. That's not the point. The point is they got to say it. They got to lean on each other, laugh, cry, talk it all out. That's sisterhood. That's something sacred, honestly. And I'm not about to be the guy who shrinks it down or shuts it off.

So here's my word — straight to the men who think women shouldn't be running their mouths together, who roll their eyes and call it gossip and act like it needs controlling.

Dig down deep and find it in yourself to do better.

Let your girl be heard. Let your women talk. Let your sisters in Christ pour out whatever they're carrying, to each other, without you policing every word. It costs you nothing, and it gives them everything.

Cheers to girl talk. Cheers to sisterhood. And cheers to the men strong enough to sit down, stay quiet, and let them speak.