For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
2 Corinthians 2:4
Father God, grant me the courage to say what needs to be said to others out of love even at the risk of the words coming out of my mouth not being well received. Because I live in a world where having people “like” you is at a premium, I can easily get caught up in the rush to be one of those considered to be part of the “in group.” I live in a world where social media drives us to be “influencers,” measuring our impact by the number of “likes” behind my name. There is great temptation to say only the things that will get me a thumbs up from my listeners. Yet, I know that “tickling ears” is not true love nor helpful. Sometimes we all need to hear the tough truth about where we are or what’s going on around us. And because of this, I realize that I must wrestle with my internal instinct to resist sharing painful messages. Instead, I must default in favor of speaking the truth in love. So I pray today that You would give me an obedient spirit that loves others too much not to share with them what they need to hear in the moment. Help me to season my words in a manner that makes them not only palatable, but also conveys the depth of love that I have for them. Use me as Your mouthpiece. In the same vain, I pray that You would give me a heart that will hear and receive the messages of those You raise up around me to convey Your thoughts to me. Even when the message hurts, give me a grateful heart that affirms the individual, celebrating their love for me and courage in the moment. Even if they are not showing the love, help me to give them the benefit of the doubt. Lord, I want to model what a godly response looks like. Continue to work in me to Your glory in Jesus’ Name.