Somehow, we got to a point where we started acting like truth and love were enemies. As if you had to pick one. To be "loving" means to stay quiet and to be "truthful" means to leave a line of wounded egos.
There is something more deeper scripture calls us to. In Ephesians 4, the call is to do something more difficult, more Christlike. Speak the truth in love.
Truth without love can become a weapon. While you may be technically right, you can be spiritually careless. Is it worth winning arguments by humiliating and harming someone in the process? Truth used to crush people isn't not truth shaped by Christ.
At the same time, love without truth is a shallow comfort. Real love is courageous. It does not seek to avoid hard conversations or leave people stuck just to avoid a bit of discomfort.
Truth in love is a matter of growth and maturity. Speaking the truth in love is how the body of Christ grows up. The vision of Ephesians 4 requires humility. A willing spirit to submit itself to the building up of other people. And a courage to speak up when injustice or sin harms others. This requires a spiritual grounding that holds us to the idea that we aren't seeking to be right, but to become more like Christlike ourselves.
Speaking the truth in love involves slowing down long enough to check your motives. If you're carrying truth in love, it is an opportunity for grace and growth, not a weapon. Doesn't Jesus show us this? He tells the truth about broken systems and wounded lives. He sees the pain and pressure some people put on others. Yet he never loses sight of people's dignity. He confronts, but he also restores. He calls out sin, but never leaves grace out of it.
so, think about your words today. Will they reflect both truth and love?
Let your truth be honest and your love be courageous.
Stay blessed...john | 
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