I hear this way too much: “I’m tellin’ mom.”
There’s a structural error with the layout of my house, because sound waves travel directly from the playroom to my office door, but only when there’s a problem. Angry ruckus sound waves travel down the staircase, and inevitably I hear one of my children yell, “I’m tellin’ mom!”
Now on most occasions, this only serves to frustrate me because I know what’s about to happen next, but today when I heard those words I thought, Wow. My children hold me in high esteem. Apparently it’s a big deal to tell mom.
When Nehemiah and his band of workers were getting bullied, they told on the bullies directly to God. “Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads” (Nehemiah 4:4). When you have troubles in your relationships, to whom do you tattle? Your spouse, or a friend? Facebook? Go directly to the authority figure of the world, Almighty God, and tell Him the problem. Let Him intervene. He can handle it better than you can, or anyone else your tempted to tell. It’s a big deal to tell God. Our Father knows how to protect His children.