Let Me Turn On The Light For You

reproof - Let Me Turn on the Light for You

Correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2, NIV

We all fall into untruth. It is the human bent to misinterpret, distort, and misperceive reality. Because we are prone to miss the truth, we all need help seeing it. We all need someone who can help us “turn on the light.”

Turning on the light is a delicate thing. We can all become defensive when it comes to hearing how we’ve gotten it wrong. So when we help our spouses into the light of the truth, we must do it with gentleness, sensitivity, and love.

David has helped turn on the light for me. It’s been a painful process, but I needed the light to shine in one of the dark places of my heart, and it’s this: I’ve always had a rather blunt tone about me. I’m a very bottom-line, get-to-the-point, and cut-to-the-chase person. Those are admirable qualities in some situations, but when it comes to relationships, I’ve discovered that my abruptness and bluntness can be harmful.

After hearing me having a phone conversation with my daughter, David approached me with great sensitivity and love. “Teresa, I know you didn’t mean to come across this way, but your tone sounded awfully harsh toward Robin.” After careful examination and much prayer, I have come to realize that I need both God and David to help me become more gentle with my words.

David’s reproof was painful for me to hear, but it was true. I would have missed the truth about my words had David not illuminated the truth for me.

I’m grateful to have a God—and a husband—who love me so intensely that they are willing to shed light on the dark areas of my life, to speak loving words of reproof when I need to hear them.

What is your response when your spouse attempts to illuminate dark areas of your life?