Ephesians 4:15

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

Sometimes it’s really hard to hear the truth…especially when the truth is that we messed up and did something wrong. On the other hand, we can tell the truth but do it in a way that harms people rather than helping them. Truth can be a great healing ointment or a terribly destructive weapon, which is why you have to handle it with care.

Every word that came out of Jesus’ mouth was truthful. Some people loved it. Others hated it. He always spoke the truth because of His love for His Father as well as His love for all of humanity. Even when He had to tell someone that what they were doing was wrong, He didn’t do it in order to make them feel bad…He did it because He loved them and wanted them to have a better life and be right with God.

When you have to tell a family member a hard truth, don’t use it as a way to make them feel bad…use it as a way to help them live better and to be more like Christ. If you can’t tell them the truth out of love, then you should hold back until you can. If we are to grow “in every way more and more like Christ,” then we must speak the truth in love.

APPLICATION: Talk about some ways that your family members speak the truth in the wrong way…and then practice how you can speak those same truths in a loving way. Pray and ask the Lord to help you learn how to speak the truth in love.