An honest answer
is like a warm hug.
Proverbs 24:26
When I was in my teens and went to my father for his opinion on any terribly important topic to my teenage mind, he would invariably look me straight in the eye, give me his cockeyed grin, and say: Do you want the truth, or a nicely varnished lie?
When I ran into my problems with the community chorus ladies and made the decision to "retire" from the group immediately, I faced the task of informing the director. I briefly flirted with the thought of coming up with some urgent emergency (you wouldn't believe!!) that had suddenly (and unexpectedly) popped up from nowhere (things like this do happen), and I just wouldn't be able to perform (oh, I am so disappointed!). Those thoughts quickly went out the window, however, because I valued him far too much to lie to him.
Friendships are
based on trust, and I needed to trust him to understand the unfortunate
circumstances and my decision to vacate the field. Telling someone the truth says, "I trust
you with my honesty and with my feelings; I know you will try to understand and
give me the benefit of the doubt."
It was trust well placed, for I received a reply of sorrow for what had
happened, and complete understanding of my ensuing decision. His statement, “Thank you for being so honest
with me" calmed my heart. I gave
him the unvarnished truth and received a warm hug of friendship in return.
*
Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.
To reach out and touch Him, and say that we love Him.
Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen.
Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.
The Faith We Sing, No. 2086
No comments:
Post a Comment