Straight Talk

"Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." Proverbs 27:6 NLT

I was proud of my daughter. She was burdened deeply in her heart. She had a dear friend that was making some unhealthy choices. I told my daughter that if what her friend was doing was bothering her, she should talk about it with her friend. She did. It took a lot of courage because my daughter hates confrontation. But it had to be done.

We owe it to each other to speak the truth in love. It's easy to flatter people. It's much harder to confront in love. When we do not confront, we can build up hurts, anger and bitterness. We can contribute to the self-destruction of others. Our ability to confront in love, will be our ability to mature in life.

There is a danger when we confront others. If we are not careful, we can become critical and blind to our own issues. When we are the person being confronted, we can become hypersensitive. We need to give and receive constructive criticism in love.

I have a friend. He seems to feel that it is his duty to let me know when I've put on weight. I don't like to hear it, but I need to. If I have to be true to myself, I must admit that without friends that confront me in love, I can become self-deceived and lazy.

So, are you ready for some straight talk?