"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:15
Speaking the truth is love is a lot easier said than done. It's hard! We've all been there. Those times in life where we know we are going to have to have that awkward conversation with someone. It mounts to the point that it can no longer be ignored and you are faced with two options. Run or face it.
Running would mean that you either abandon the relationship or you cover the problem up so the relationship can no longer be REAL. Facing it means having an extremely hard conversation and possibly damaging the relationship. But...facing it may also mean that the relationship comes out the other side amazingly strong. We never know what impact speaking the truth in love is going to have. It can backfire on us at times. At other times it can heal a person, a relationship or a soul beyond our wildest imaginations.
In my life, the times that I have chosen not to speak the truth in love all boiled down to fear. It's a scary thing to do, especially when it involves someone you care for deeply. You run through all of the different scenarios in your head until you've convinced yourself that the worst is going to happen.
At some point, the truth must be spoken. Left undone, it will undoubtedly ruin any relationship.
I encourage all of you(myself included) to prayerfully speak the truth in love when the opportunity presents itself. The people in our lives don't want a pretend you. They want the real you. The one that isn't going to candy coat everything and tell them that it will all be okay when it's really not. Truth sometimes hurts, but it's what can bring real healing.
Let's not forget that we can also be the recipient of that truth! Be humble and aware that those who speak truth in love to you are doing it with fear in their hearts and a true love for you. Take it.
No comments:
Post a Comment