Some
people are prophetic in nature. They always speak the truth; sometimes not in a
very loving manner. They do not intend to hurt another's feelings, but at times
it does happen. You always know where you stand with a prophetic person.
They
will not lie to you, and over the years of maturing spiritually, they learn to
speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15-19). I am one of these prophetic
people. One person in my life labeled me as a "mean spirited" person,
because at times, the truth I speak hits a person the wrong way, and it hurts
their feelings.
In
a marriage, two opposites attract. We need the strengths in our spouse to
balance out our weaknesses; and they need our strengths to balance out theirs.
However, our idiosyncrasies and imperfections may frustrate or irritate one
another.
It
is wise to rationally discuss these issues and to resolve them, rather than
allow bitterness to grow in our heart over the years. When our spouse's
behavior causes us to pull away from him/her, we are using this distance and lack
of attachment as a defense mechanism to protect our feelings.
Withdrawing
is our way of preventing a volley of verbal discussion or disagreement that my
possibly cause more hurt and bitterness; but withdrawing also compounds the
problem by sweeping it under the rug. The feelings are always there, even if we
bury them in our subconscious mind.
Stuffing
our feelings only increases the hurt and is caused by pride. Humility allows us
to admit that we are wounded, and to confront the offensive behavior during an
unemotional time of rational dialogue.
These
open, honest conversations bring enlightenment to both husband and wife, allow
us to ask hard questions and to give honest answers in love, and to learn
valuable lessons that lead to personal growth and positive change in the
relationship, which strengthens the marriage.
Prayer:
Father
God, teach us to fitly speak a word in due season in order to help our family,
friends, associates and neighbors to improve their quality of life (Isaiah
50:4). Help us to realize when we did not speak the truth in love, but in
prophetic fervor; and to humbly apologize for hurting someone's feelings.
Teach
us to appreciate the candid counsel of a brother or sister in the spirit in
which they intended to give it - to help us, rather than to wound us. Let their
wise words help us to mature in our walk with You and to learn the secrets of
life, which they already learned from You. Help us to pass on these truths to
others in love and humility.
Thought
for the Day:
When
someone loves us enough to point out a fault, we should not take offense, but
thank them for their honesty and for being willing to be vulnerable enough to
tell us the truth; this allows us to heal from the inside out.
