Philippians 4:8-9

whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Truth and Love


Krista...
One of my previous posts is about friendship....and how the Lord brings certain women into your life at opportune times.
Krista has been that friend for me as of late...She challenges me and pushes me to be my authentic self, to be real, to be the true me all of the time....not just when its easy and comfortable.

The really interesting thing is that she doesn't even know that she is pushing or challenging me. She speaks what is on her heart, she tells it how it is. She speaks the truth, but surrounds it with love. Lots of women (myself included) shy away from these friends because we are fearful of what will come out of their mouths...afraid of being hurt or a lot of times we fear hearing the truth about ourselves, so we put distance between us and them....Leaving us unchanged and unchallenged.

Ephesians 4:14;(The Message) God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

The Lord has been placing on my heart, the need...the calling, to be truthful in love..To be bold and speak the truth in Love, even when it hurts or makes me uncomfortable.
Here are some of the things that I am learning about truth and love!

Speaking the truth in love is NOT watering down the truth
Speaking the truth in love necessitates the use of both positive and negative
Speaking the truth in love must be plain to understand
Jesus is the ultimate example of speaking the truth in love!!

So I leave you tonight with this thought:
Are you being the "true you"...the you that speaks the truth in love, the you that the Lord designed with His own hands, the you that is unique, the you that is vulnerable, the you that doesn't water down the truth, the you that you are called to be...
Will you take the challenge with me tomorrow?
Will you make it a priority to speak the truth in love for a day?
Lets change and be challenged........ one day at a time!