“Honesty is where grace really starts…”
Sissy Goff
Yes…but it’s also the beginning of shame and hurt. So many of us are afraid to be honest because we are rarely met with grace.
I can think back to several instances of when I was honest and how the other person reacted. The first one was met with avoidance. I confessed a sin I struggled with that I desperately wanted to be free of but to my dismay, I found no help.
Another time I confessed my hurt and sought reconciliation only to be met with hostility.
Reflecting on these situations, I came to conclude that the reasons I was met with such negative responses was because these people hadn’t dealt with the issues in their own lives.
The first person struggled with the same issue I had so they avoided me because they felt shame knowing they couldn’t help me. The second one was because this person hadn’t dealt with their pain so it was easier to blame someone else.
We are scared to be honest because we are afraid of how the other person will react.
Now think of a time you honestly shared and the other person just hugged you and showed empathy.
I know that in those instances, it changed my life.
May we learn to respond to other’s honesty with grace so we may receive the same when we are honest.