"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself in love, as each part does its work." (Ephesians 4:15-16)
Later: "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." (Ephesians 4:25)
There is a post-it note that I've taped up in my various living spaces, on which is written a quote from a lecture by one of my favorite college professors. It reads, "There are no regrets speaking the truth in love." It serves as a reminder of a few different things.
First, it reminds me that I should always seek to understand what the truth is. Those words were delivered by a strong Christian woman, and I know with full confidence that she would agree the only absolute truth is God's. Through prayer, study, and meditation we should do our best to seek God's truth and understand it.
Second, it reminds me that I should be bold in proclaiming the truth. If we want to maintain healthy, intimate, Christian relationships, part of that is sharing the truth with each other. Even when it may be hard to hear, and even when it may be hard to say. I've said before that God does His work through us, showing His love and truth through our relationships with each other.
Third, and most importantly, it's a reminder that the only way to deliver the truth about anything is to be motivated and checked by love for my neighbor. Sometimes this means speaking hard truth to someone else when we are concerned about them. Sometimes it means sharing a truth about ourselves that we would rather keep hidden. In any of these conversations, we should keep Christ at the center, modeling our love after His and forgiving as God forgave us. Only then can we truly say we have no regrets.
Truth is not always simply the absence of a lie. I believe we are called not only to be honest, but also to be open. Speaking the truth in love to better serve the body of Christ is an intentional act. Through proactive honesty we build the kind of intimate relationships that strengthen us as Christians and give us a glimpse of the love God has for us. It begins with taking time to understand our own hearts. When we practice being honest with ourselves, we can better understand and relate to others, contributing to the body of Christ in our own unique way.
Show your love by being committed to truth in all you do.
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