Walking in Truth (1)

'...Each of you must...speak truthfully to your neighbour...' Ephesians 4:25 NIV

Jesus said,

'You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free' (John 8:32 NAS).

But in the process, the truth can make you miserable!

One author says: 

"Truth can be very uncomfortable"

We have pivotal moments when we're asked to step up and say it or act on it. In those moments...character is forged and relationships solidified. For example...one summer day some of my Bible study sisters and I had our kids piled into our 4x4s and were headed to a friend's ranch for the night. Another buddy who wasn't invited called the driver of the lead car in our caravan to see if she wanted to get together.  

Panicking, and fearful of hurting our friend's feelings, she mumbled something about being busy doing something else; a lie of omission...intended to guard feelings and preserve relationships. Soon...I called the same friend to tell her a group of us were headed to the ranch and I'd see her tomorrow...Suddenly, on the phone, silence.  

She wasn't so much hurt that she wasn't invited...she was hurt that our other friend lied to her. She'd have preferred the sting of the truth...to the isolation of deception. 

Paul says, 

"Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body"... 

We've been socially conditioned to be pleasing and avoid making waves, so some of what we have to learn about truth is actually a process of unlearning... Later our Bible study discussed this incident.  

We all grew from the conversation and we learned an important lesson: however painful, friendship deepens in the fertile ground of honesty.

SoulFood: Num 27-29, Matt 12:38-50, Ps 67, Pro 4:1-2

Written by Bob & Debby Gass
Friday, 7 February 2014

APPS available here