Ephesians 4:25-27
What this adds up to, then, is
this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In
Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie
to others, you end up lying to yourself.
Go ahead and be angry.
You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge.
And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that
kind of foothold in your life.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
My
mother always taught me that “if you can’t say something nice, don’t
say anything at all.” At the other end of the spectrum, my Mam-ma Polly
frequently seemed to operate more in the “speak your mind now and worry
about the consequences later” mode. And I think there is room for a
healthy balance between these two stances.
I try to be very fair
and balanced with others…particularly as I write these devotionals. I
understand that not all people believe as I do on a variety of
subjects…and that’s okay. But I have found that often, when we sit
quietly on the sidelines, others wrongly assume that we believe exactly
as they do…and that we fully support their expressed opinions. And this
can be hurtful to everyone.
A few weeks ago, I was attending a
meeting in which some comments were made that deeply wounded several
people…including me. The persons who made them initially assumed that
everyone in the room felt as they did…so they “went at it” with wild
abandon. I’ll admit…I initially willed myself to stay quiet. But then
another lady spoke up and explained why she disagreed with what was
said…and one by one, more of us spoke up and expressed our feelings. I
wish I could say this made a difference…that the ugly talk was stifled.
But it wasn’t…and some of us came away more offended than anything
else…but yes, we were angry, too.
The anger and
disappointment affected me in a profound way…but I did not seek revenge.
I prayed…a lot. I asked God to show me how to overcome my feelings of
resentment toward those who spoke their own truth…to keep me from
allowing the devil to have the last laugh in this. And He has done
this. I am at a calm and peaceful place where I can actually encounter
these people and not feel antagonistic – or even judgmental of them. I
didn’t come to this resolution overnight, but I am grateful that God has
begun to heal my heart.
I am also glad that I spoke out.
Otherwise, I think I would have always felt a little ashamed…like I was
living a lie by allowing others to assume that I agreed with them on
this issue. And I’ll admit…speaking honestly about my views on several
political and social issues has “cost” me some friendships...or at least
greatly changed how we interact and the frequency of our contacts. And
that is unfortunate…but also freeing. Let’s be honest…living a lie
takes its toll.
I hope and pray that I am never judgmental or
rude…that I don’t “speak my mind” to someone in such a way as to anger
or offend them. By remaining truthful, I trust that God will bless my
efforts and soften the ears of those who hear my words, so that they
accept them – and me – in the spirit of Christian brotherhood and
sisterhood. I’ve tried to “sugarcoat the truth” before in an effort to
spare another person’s feelings. And I can tell you, when this
backfires (and it often does), it’s a royal disaster!
At the end
of the day, our only responsibility is to please God…and remaining
truthful honors our commitment to Him. By seeking His wisdom and
guidance as we speak the truth, we demonstrate our faith in Him to
handle how our words are received…and put the devil in his place
simultaneously! Honesty IS the best policy! How truthful are you being
these days?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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