When I was younger, just a few years ago, I used to be brash and “tell it like it is”. All I cared about was the truth as I saw it. I didn’t care about the impact my words would have on the listener. If you felt bad about it, too bad. Go deal with it.
I was truthful–at least as I saw it, but brash. Often hurting people in the process. And when I wasn’t right? Well, you know already. I put my foot in my mouth.
As I grew older, and I think wiser, I learned–the hard way–but gratefully so, to care a lot about people’s feelings.
Now, it’s not the truth and only the truth. Of course, it’s always the truth. But never the truth alone. Whoever said the truth had to be single? It’s right for the truth to always be married to love and never separate or divorce her. A single truth is a grouchy and clumsy fellow. He is always hurting the same people he is trying to help. But when he is married to his wife love? He becomes caring, empathetic, ambidextrous even, really smooth and effective.
You know, man was not made for the truth, but the truth for man. Without people, truth is useless. The truth is man’s faithful servant. Man is the master. We must always speak the truth but we must always do it honorably as well. It’s not one or the other, it is both.
If you want to send Truth to go deliver a message to a friend’s heart, don’t send her alone. Let her two best friends, Love and Grace go with her. Let Grace be the one to ring the doorbell. Love should speak first. Grace should nod in agreement. Truth should be the last one to speak. And when she does, Grace and Love should support her. If you do that, your message will be heard every single time.
And for people who still think it’s cool to be rude to others under the guise of “telling it as it is?” Well, tell it as it is has a new name. It’s called being a jerk. An insensitive person, a socially maladjusted individual. I bet like me, you don’t think “telling it as it is”, is cool anymore, do you? Don’t fall for it friend. Always tell the truth, but also always do so in love.
