What if I told the truth for one day?  No exceptions.  

What if I practiced open, honest, responsible communication and  told the truth in ways that brought glory to God? 

WHAT IF:

I opened up my heart to others about what I was really dealing with that day? 

I saw in the eyes of others the places they might be struggling? 

I shared what was REALLY going on in – my insecurities, my fears? 

I got honest in those relationships where I have built walls?

WHAT IF?   

Just last week, my husband and I spent an amazing week at a Klemmer and Associates Leadership event. We had some people really love us – 59 people in fact, and we had never even met them before.  And this is what we all practiced.  Being open. Being honest.  Being bold.  Being authentic.  Being full of love and truth. 

These people had nothing to lose in relationship to us, and nothing to gain.  So they were honest.  Boldly so.  And I heard some things I have never heard before.  And I saw things in me I had not seen, or had not been willing to look at – things that need molding, shaping, growing, and changing.  And it was good.  And it was hard. 

My husband’s sermon yesterday was so good.  So honest.  So painfully full of this kind of open, honest work.  If you want some of that Bold Truth, check it out for a quick listen at covenantfellowship.com.

He spoke of spurs, of sharpening processes, and of wounds.  These sound painful.  They sound like they will leave marks.  They sound like they will cut deeply.

And let us SPUR one another on toward love and good deeds.  Hebrews 10:24

As iron SHARPENS iron, let one man sharpen another.  Proverbs 27:17

WOUNDS from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.  Proverbs 27:6

And if I am open to being spurred, and being sharpened, and being wounded – it will hurt.  But I will be transformed, continually, into the woman God has for me to be.  I know I have not arrived, and I am not there yet, so I truly pray the Lord keeps blessing me with truth givers, and friends that are willing to risk.

And in Christ, I am an ABUNDANT, TRUSTING, VULNERABLE woman. 

I am praying I can really hear these lessons all week long, this week, and every week that I have left on this planet.  I have a visual reminder in my wallet.  Matt gave a piece of sandpaper to everyone as they came into church today.  This represents our being real with one another, being honest, and pushing those we love into deeper and wider opportunities to grow. 

I am the sandpaper in someone’s life today.  And someone will be my sandpaper.  That’s just how God worked it out.  Lots of forgiven, imperfect people, trying to do life, shaping one another, wounding, sharpening, spurring – for the glory of God to be made known in their lives.

To end, the verse below also tells of the opposite of being honest.  We can either risk wounding a friend with the truth, or we can blow kisses at them and pretend things are “so great” and never choose to tell the truth. 

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.  Proverbs 27:6

Jenny’s unpublished paraphrase:

Friends speak truth to your heart, while enemies kiss your butt.  I like friends better. 

 ”i woke up yesterday” and heard the truth, Jenny