To Tell the Truth



Would you want to know if you were doing something that would lead to disaster?  Do you tell others if they are heading for a brick wall?

It's puzzling (sorry).

Last night I read something about how truth can only be told when there is an atmosphere of love and that when you tell the truth, it should hurt just as much to say it as it will be to hear it.  In other words, if you enjoy telling someone what they are doing wrong, you probably shouldn't say it.

Love=Trust=Truth

It's frustrating when you can't trust your friends to tell you the truth.  It's how the remarkably untalented end up on national television auditioning for singing competitions.  It's how books receive rave reviews because friends don't want to tell a friend their writing isn't so good.  Not only is the singer and writer not hearing constructive feedback, but the listening and reading public suffers.

"The wounds of a friend are faithful," reads Proverbs 27:6.  Another translation states it as "The wounds of a friend can be trusted." 

When God's Holy Spirit convicts us, we are wise to heed the correction.  It is, in fact, a kindness to keep us on track.  When we ignore that "voice" repeatedly, we will no longer hear it.  God corrects us for our benefit as well as those around us.

Pride gets in the way.  I admit it.  As much as I may feel disappointed that a friend may conceal the truth, I'm not very good at telling others they are headed for a brick wall.  And do I even hear God's loving Spirit, guiding me away from my own issues?

Blech!  It's enough to make me fall on my knees.  That's probably where He wants me to be to begin with, isn't it?

What about you?  How are you at receiving feedback from a friend?  How does it differ from hearing it from your boss?  When you've lovingly confronted a friend, how has it been received?