Truth is like a strong medicine
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
In the above passage we are told that love rejoices in the truth. While on the surface this is one of the most beautiful qualities of love, when put into practice it quickly becomes one of the most difficult.
By nature, we humans are social creatures. We crave, and on some level, need to be part of some group, or tribe. This could be our family, our church, our co-workers, or even a group of golf buddies for those so inclined. We benefit from feeling accepted, having a sense of fellowship, and a network of support to help us in time of need. Likewise, we suffer severe emotional and spiritual hardship when we are made to feel isolated and alone. This presents an inherent opposition to the concept of honesty.
Truth is an essential and extremely helpful thing. Though as my grandfather says, truth is like a strong medicine: bitter to the tongue, but sweet to the stomach. Truth can and often does hurt. For this reason, speaking truthfully can be a very scary thing to do. By being open and honest with others we do expose ourselves to the very real risk of hurting or offending them, which in turn presents the risk of them departing from us, which leads to us being alone. This hypothetical outcome echoes constantly in the human subconscious, urging us to hold our tongues. Of course, truth should always be seasoned with tact and respect. If truth exists as the fertile soil in which love grows, that means truth without love is just dirt. Even with the utmost love, though, some truth will always be bitter to the taste.
This is where we are required to truly prove the depths of our love in Christ. God loves us enough to sacrifice all, through Christ, for us. In turn, Christ says the two greatest commandments are to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This means godly love requires us to love three people: God, others, and ourselves. This, in turn, means we are required to be honest to three people: God, others, and ourselves.
