.....honesty

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ Ephesians 4:15

During a job interview, the conversation went something like this:

Interviewer: “What would you say is your greatest strength?”

Candidate: “Honesty.”

Interviewer: “And your greatest weakness?”

Candidate: “Honestly, it’s honesty.”

Interviewer: “I don’t think honesty is a weakness.”

Candidate: “I don’t care what you think.”

We’ve all met someone like that, haven’t we? Someone whose "honesty" felt like getting hit with a brick. And if we're being honest... sometimes we've been that person! It’s easy to confuse being brutally honest with being faithfully honest, but the two aren’t the same.

The Bible never tells us to hide the truth. In fact, Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:15 that we should “speak the truth”. But he adds two crucial words: “in love”. Truth without love is harsh. Real Christian maturity brings the two together — honesty that doesn’t just say the right thing, but says it the right way.

Jesus was the ultimate example of this. He never lied. He never sugarcoated. But he also never used truth as a weapon to wound. Whether he was confronting the Pharisees, challenging his disciples, or comforting a broken sinner, he spoke hard truths, but always with the aim of bringing people closer to the love of God. It means pausing before we speak, asking God to check our motives, and making sure our words are filled with grace. It means recognizing that the goal isn’t to prove we’re right but to help someone else become more like Christ.

So today, be honest. But be gentle, too. Before you speak the truth, pause and ask yourself: Will this help or hurt? Is this about loving them or just making a point? Would I want someone to say it to me the way I’m about to say it to them?mWhen we balance our honesty with love, God can use our words to bring healing, hope, and change — and that’s the kind of honesty the world really needs.

Lord, help me to be a person who speaks the truth with love. Guard my heart against pride and my words against harshness. Use my honesty to build people up, not tear them down. In Jesus’ name, amen.