Speaking Truth With Kindness

Speaking Truth with Kindness

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Proverbs 27:17

“I’ve been praying about this and I really felt like I needed to say something to you about it,” my friend nervously stated over the phone as we were talking one day. She went on to tell me about something I had done that she felt wasn’t right.

As her words came through graciously over the phone, tears sprang to my eyes. I knew that she was right. As I talked through the issue with her, I found grace and mercy mixed in with her words, and I felt a weight lifting off of me.

I hung up the phone so grateful for a friend who could speak to me honestly about something I needed to be corrected on, while doing it completely in love and without judgment. I left the conversation feeling better about who I was and like I had worked through an issue that I had become blind to seeing for myself. My friend took a chance by speaking honestly to me, knowing I might have been offended by her words, and I was thankful for her bravery.

There may be times in life when we feel that someone around us needs to be corrected, but we should always make sure that we are speaking to them from a place of love and not from resentment or anger. Scripture reminds us that “as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” I was so grateful that my friend took a chance to speak to me honestly about a concern, therefore sharpening me. We need to be willing to do the same for those around us. Kindness can often come through in our honesty toward others, when we speak in love and with genuine concern for the other person.

Do you have a good friend to share your life with, who has a line of sight into your choices? Do you have a friend who will speak honestly to you, even if it’s hard, in an effort to sharpen you? If so, thank God for them today. If not, consider what you might need to do to build that kind of friendship.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Send a note of thanks to a friend who has sharpened you in some way.