Living In The Tension: Truth vs. Love

When you do church for people who don’t like church, joining Jesus on His mission of helping people who are far from God get close to Him, there are all kinds of tensions you live in and have to embrace.

One is truth versus love. It’s really not versus, but it can feel that way. Truth and love are two key essentials for every person. We all need truth; it’s what sets us free. And we all need love; it’s what changes us. But there are problems.

One is that some people find it easier to give truth (take me for example), and others prefer to give love (you should meet my wife). But people need both.

Another problem is that in some situations it’s easy to give truth (perhaps when a person’s sin seems especially insidious), and in others it feels more natural to give love (like when you feel really bad for the person). But people need both.

One of of my most common prayers when I’m talking to people is:  God, what is the truth this person needs to hear? And what is the most loving way I can say it? I literally pray it over and over. I want to give the person the absolute truth, and I want to give the person absolute love. Doing both, at the same time? There’s a tension there, but it’s one we have to live in.