Truth Hurts

My parents love each other. I mean, they really love each other. I rarely hear them say any sort of complaint about the other. Which after 38 years of marriage, is quite impressive! One day at lunch my mom said to me, “The first thing that everyone will say at my funeral is how much I love your dad and that I never said anything bad about him.” Being the wonderful daughter that I am, I looked at her and laughed. “No, it won’t!” I scoffed. And my mom, always prepared for a debate, leaned in with a smile ready to challenge me with, “Fine. What will they say then?” With complete confidence I said, “The first thing anyone will say is that Karan always told the truth, whether you wanted to hear it or not.”

We still laugh about that now. Especially when someone comments on how they can always count on her for the truth. What I wonder, is do we all have someone in our life to speak truth to us whether we want to hear it or not? Just yesterday my mom stopped by at my house. I have been having a hard time health wise for a while. The last few days for me have not been great. We talked for a bit and then she prayed over me, but after she laid down some hard truths for me. “You’re out of order,” she said, connecting my health to my spiritual walk. That was like a slap in the face for me. Why? Because I already had the conviction. I already knew this was true, but I was unwilling to be obedient.

I had been willingly and openly disobedient to something that God had already convicted me on. Something that had so consumed me that I put everything else off. I had ignored God. I ignored my husband. I ignored my children. I ignored the duties that I have as both a wife and mother. I had focused only on myself and put everything out of order. The words she spoke stung. She spoke a few more truths and then left. I immediately went to my room to confess and repent.

Without her hard truth, would I have been able to? I doubt I would have. In fact, I know I wouldn’t have. How do I know? I had already done it once. I had already rid myself of the thing that God convicted me of only to turn around and do it again. It was willful disobedience. I had become consumed by something. But when my mom told that sacrifice is to lay it on the altar to be consumed by the fire, I knew then and there what I had to do. What had consumed me must be laid down and consumed now by the fire.

Truth is rarely something people want to hear. In fact, our society today doesn’t even like the word truth. It’s a relative term now. But as a Christ follower, truth can never be subjective. And I need the truth to be spoken to me. It’s so hard to act alone. Sometimes we need someone to come beside us and tell us what we already know. Did I want to hear what my mom said to me? No, I didn’t. Did I need to hear what my mom said to me? Yes, I absolutely did. Do you have someone in your life that can and will speak truth to you whether you want to hear it or not? Have you only surrounded yourself with people who tickle your ear and help you justify your sin? What good will that do if you have? I’ll tell you this, I’d much rather have a few minutes of the sting of truth rather than a lifetime of the weight of guilt. What would you choose?

Ephesians 4:25

“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.”

(The Message Bible)