Being Tenderly Truthful

It is so easy to crush a spirit, even if we have the best of intentions, sometimes things just come out wrong.  Have you ever said something you didn’t mean to?  Or have you ever said something you did mean but in a tone that broke a heart with a sting that could possibly last forever?  I am guilty of it.  I’ve been known to have a sharp tongue, to speak without thinking first, to lash out all in the name of “being brutally honest.”

I have found there is a better way, because it is not my goal to hurt anyone.  To tell the truth, YES, but to tell it tenderly … loving my neighbor as I would hope to be loved in return.   

There is a time to be bold, maybe even abrasive if needed.  But if we want to get someone’s attention, if we want someone to truly listen to what it is we’re trying to tell them, if we want to change the world one person at a time, we need wisdom in how to handle ourselves and how to talk to people, and I’m telling you, it’s not always easy.  It takes practice and self-control.  It takes restoration of the heart. It takes knowing the art of controlling our tongue.  James 1:26 says, “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself and your religion is worthless.”

To be a light in a dark world, to be like salt that enhances the taste of life, to make the world a little better than it was before, we need to be tender in our ways, loving each other in deed and in word.

Does your tongue need tamed at times?  Do you speak sharply to those you love?  Are you able to be a little sweeter today?