I started my thoughts last week with this idea: Communication is an interesting and confusing dynamic. It sure doesn’t seem like communication should be so perplexing or complicated. The truth is though – communication can be most difficult. Then I wrote about honesty and the two sides of honesty.
There is a little saying about honesty that I learned over 20 years ago from Win Anderson.
Not everything that is honest needs to be said but everything that is said needs to be honest.
This is an impacting idea. If I spoke everything that came into my mind – honest thoughts – it would not be good for me and it would not be good for others.
This idea was illustrated a few years ago in the movie , “Liar, Liar” starring Jim Carey. In the movie the father is an attorney who has trouble telling the truth and keeping a promise. His son, Max, decides to make an honest man out of his father by making a wish that for one whole day his dad would not be able to lie. The wish comes true and all his father can do is tell the truth no matter whether it should be said or not.
There is a truth found in Scripture that gives guidance regarding WHAT to say.
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (Ephesians 4:29 NLT)
What is said not only has to be true but it has to be good and helpful. What is said has to be an encouragement to the hearer.
The teaching of God’s Word is that each of us is to be committed to being truth tellers and truth hearers. That is only part of the teaching. The rest is to speak good, helpful and encouraging words.
We are called to tell the truth when it is good, helpful and encouraging!
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