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Speaking Truth in Love Means Taking a Risk

“In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.” Proverbs 28:23 (TLB)

It’s scary to speak the truth in love. The reason we stuff our feelings and hide the issues in our relationships is because we fear the possible consequences. We let fear become greater than our love. Speaking the truth in love means taking a great risk! And because we don’t want to take that risk, we sometimes settle for superficial, shallow relationships.

My wife, Kay, and I were pros at this early in our marriage. We repressed the truth, we hid our feelings, and we ignored issues. We swept everything under the rug to try to maintain the status quo in our marriage.

Your love for the other person must outweigh the risk of rejection from them. You must be willing to absorb the initial anger of a loving confrontation because of your love for that person. And that takes enormous courage.

Maybe you’ve not felt loving toward someone for weeks or months or maybe even years because you’ve been stuffing your feelings down. You’re not speaking the truth in love, and it’s hurting the relationship.

With whom do you need to have an honest conversation? It might be someone in your family, neighborhood, or small group. Will you care enough to speak the truth in love?