Grow | Truth or Kindness

…we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ… Ephesians 4:15

“I just calls ‘em like I see’s em!” Erma announced to the backs of the fleeing first-time visitors. They’d had the misfortune of running into Third Avenue Church’s self-appointed screener. Pastor Lane made a beeline for Erma, but not before she continued her assessment of the visitors: “Couple of hippies, they were! Bringing those tattoos and nose rings into the house of God. Shame on em!” Pastor Lane put a firm hand on Erma’s shoulder and with a tight smile, propelled her toward his office. “Erma, we’ve talked about this before…” She shrugged his hand away and turned to him with a lift of her dimpled chin. “I’m just speakin’ the truth in love.” Pastor Lane shook his head. “That was neither the truth nor love…and it has to stop.”

Part of growing up in our faith is learning how to balance truth with kindness. Most of us err on one side or the other. Truth-lovers often aim at the problem with a sawed-off shotgun, not caring if their words wound as long as they are accurate. Kindness-lovers have trouble speaking up, even when it’s necessary, more fearful of offending people than defending truth. Jesus was a perfect balance of both, so when we work to speak the truth in love as He did, we grow to be more like Him.

Final Thought:  Do you err more towards truth or kindness? Study the life of Jesus and how He responded. He balanced both.
Prayer: Father, both truth and love are important to you. You know which way I naturally lean, but living as a Christian is not natural. It’s supernatural. Help me learn to balance truth and love like Jesus did so I can grow up. In His name, Amen.