How to Tell the Truth When You Know It's Going to Cost You

Telling the truth comes with a price. So we soften it or skip it. In this episode, discover what Ephesians 4:15 asks of us, and what a relationship built on comfortable half-truths actually costs.Kristina had spent her university years in New Zealand building an image she was proud of. She was a dancer and a performer who got high grades. She knew exactly how to look like she had it together, and she would have told you plainly she wasn't someone who needed to be fixed.When a friend named Michelle kept inviting her to a young adults group, she said no for years. She finally showed up one Thursday, more to end the conversation than because she wanted to be there. A girl sat across from her and told her the truth about Jesus.Kristina was furious.Most of us know what it feels like to avoid a conversation we'd rather not have. We soften the truth or skip it altogether. We call it being considerate. Sometimes it is. But sometimes we're just protecting ourselves while the person in front of us goes without what they needed.This episode looks at both sides of that. There's the person who needs the courage to speak. There's also the person on the receiving end who may not want to hear it. Kristina's story sits on both sides of that line. She didn't want to hear what the girl said. And the girl had to say it anyway.Ephesians 4:15 gives us the standard: speak the truth in love. Paul connects it directly to becoming more like Christ. That phrase has 2 parts, and we tend to collapse it into one. Some of us are good at the truth part but skip the love, and what lands is a lecture. Others are good at the love part but soften the truth until it says nothing, and the person walks away unchanged. What Paul is describing is both at once, truth that tells the person you care about them enough to say it.I've hesitated to tell someone the truth more than once. I knew what they needed to hear, and I knew saying it would cost me something, so I let the moment pass. Looking back, that was about my comfort more than their good.Through Kristina's story and Ephesians 4:15, this episode takes a close look at what it costs to be a person who tells the truth, and what it costs everyone when we don't.BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:Why speaking the truth and speaking it in love are 2 separate skills that both require something from youWhat Ephesians 4:15 reveals about the connection between telling the truth and becoming more like ChristOne specific step you can take this week to say something you've been putting offSpeaking the truth in love costs something. But a relationship built on comfortable half-truths doesn't go anywhere worth going.Share This Episode:https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/231Need Prayer? Leave me a voicemail:https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/voicemailWant to keep these devotions coming? Please consider supporting this podcast.https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/support/Rate and Reviewhttps://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/reviews/new/Connect with BartFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dailydevotionsforbusylivesWebsite: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.comFeeling spiritually drained? Start here. Download your free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus here.Mentioned in this episode:Join Our Private Facebook CommunityIf you're looking for a place to connect with other Daily Devotions listeners and pray for each other, I'd love for you to join our private Facebook community group. Come find us at https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/group