Topic: Appreciate Honesty from Other People [Wednesday October 4, 2017]
Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing. — 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Everyone loves compliments, but very few know how to handle constructive criticism. No one likes to be wrong, which makes it hard when people need to tell us things we don’t want to hear.
But we need to be thankful for honesty in other people. I once heard someone say, “Only two people will tell you the truth about yourself: someone who is angry with you and someone who loves you very much.” God uses both types of people in our lives, but He especially uses the honesty of friends and loved ones.
When someone can, in love, honestly show you how you can improve, the results are so much more valuable than empty, ego-stroking compliments. It’s this kind of relationship that the Bible describes as “iron sharpening iron.”
I urge you to be thankful for people who tell you the truth about yourself, even if it’s not what you want to hear.
When you hear the truth—especially something you weren’t aware of—you can change. Ultimately, honesty will make you a better person.
Prayer Starter: Lord, thank You for placing truly honest people in my life. Their honesty may make me uncomfortable at times, but I know that when I listen to them, You can help me become a better person.
From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries