Politics for People Who Hate PoliticsSample

I’ve never had a problem with telling anyone my version of the truth. Both of my parents are outspoken in their beliefs, and they raised me to be the same. My teenage years were predictably tumultuous, given that my “truths” differed so much from theirs. Sometimes our differences got out of control, and my mom would say something mean. When she did, she rarely apologized and often doubled down. “Honey,” she’d say, “the truth hurts—deal with it!” I internalized her words and gave myself license to say whatever I wanted—hurting people and expecting them to thank me for setting them straight.

For the record, my mom and I no longer talk or think this way. Both of us have since matured, in age as well as faith. As Christians, we don’t get to simply define love as truth and call it a day. The way we express God’s truth is as important as what we say. Expressing hard truths lovingly is the biggest challenge we all face. And nowhere is this more challenging than in today’s political environment.

When we chose to follow Jesus and submit our wills to Him, the Holy Spirit tamed our tongues and checked our pride. We did not, however, give up on truth-telling. If anything, God made us more emboldened to speak truth. The difference is that we now do so from a position of love.

Reflection: How loving are you when speaking hard truths, and how can you improve?