Speaking the Truth

My counselor pinpointed one of my character traits one day in one of those blinding epiphanies that happen ever so rarely in a person's lifetime. 

She said, "You are a Truth-teller."

It was as if a bolt of lightning had hit me.  I knew that what she said was right, and that it defined the very core of who I am.  There is nothing that will make me more uncomfortable than a lie.

Being a truth-teller is a good thing.  Look at Ephesians 4:25

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body...

However, earlier in Ephesians 4, there is another verse about truth.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  Ephesians 4:15

This chapter is centered on the unity of the Body of Christ.  This verse refers to speaking the truth in love.

Uh oh.

I've always been great at speaking the truth, but doing it in love?  Well, not so much.  I can recall some pretty horrible things that I've said to my ex-husband in the past few years that, while true, were not said in a very loving way. 

To be very honest, I am just now learning how to love him enough to pray for him.  Well, that isn't entirely true.  I have been praying for him all along.  It's just that now my prayers aren't always based on those Psalms that call down tragedy on the heads of the enemy.  Now I am learning to pray that he will someday repent and draw close to God again.

And I am praying that I will continue to learn to speak the truth in love, even to my ex-husband. Maybe you could pray for me as I learn this hard lesson.

May God's grace and mercy always inform the truth that comes from my mouth!