The whole of life is
about saying what we mean and meaning what we say.
But it’s worse than
being duplicitous if, by doing so, we upset people.
We can only be
blessed in saying what we mean and meaning what we say when we have oriented
our hearts toward love. And to love, suchlike, is to consider everyone more
important than the self.
Having achieved a
heart for others through the blessing of the Lord, we are then primed and
positioned to say what we mean and mean what we say – because truth is worse
than hopeless when without love.
It will take a
special courage of vulnerability with ourselves to risk the exposure of our own
feelings in saying what we mean and meaning what we say.
We can only manage
such a task, that requires a fullness of consistent and selfless love, when we
are in sync with God, for only by God have we the vision of what can be
achieved – a life replete of virtue.
To say what we mean
is loving when others are blessed. To mean what we say is our commitment to
truth.
***
For a Christian meaning what we say
and saying what we mean is vital. We are people of integrity as much as we are
people of the Book. Indeed, the Book is about
the integrity of virtue. If we miss that, we miss the whole purpose of grace.
Grace gives so that others might receive; Jesus on the cross and resurrected,
one man, for all. The Father’s grace for each one of us.
Our grace – which is to say what we
mean (to speak the truth in love) and mean what we say (of and in love) – is the
measure of our submission before God.
Our grace is the epitome of the
Father’s grace – to put our needs on the cross and crucify our desires so others’
desires may be satisfied. It will cost us to say what we mean and mean what we
say from this backdrop.
Our grace is the fortitude of our
being knowing we are nothing now without Christ, but we are everything now with
him.
To say what we mean and mean what we
say is our privilege in a life that is blessed by God when we realise it is how
we are to love people with the truth.
© 2015 S. J. Wickham.
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