In light of my church background and personality, I developed as a follower of Christ who was pretty blunt and leaned heavily into speaking the truth (without much grace).  I even had friends who suggested I tone down and filter the bluntness.

As I continued in my spiritual journey, I saw where I hurt people with my blunt responses, and saw & experienced some unhealthy situations in the way staff and their families were treated in church situations.

I took all of this into account and made a decision I wanted to be more “grace-filled” in my interactions with people.  I began to lean more toward grace, even though some staff and others might question and laugh at this statement!

While at the Blessing Ranch this Summer, Dr. John Walker reminded me that Jesus was 100% full of grace and 100% full of truth 100% of the time. If I’m following Jesus in a way that honors Him and am “full” of Him I should exhibit the qualities of being full of grace and full of  truth all the time.

Dr. Walker suggested I lean into both, but since the pendulum of my life has swung more toward grace, I should work on being more balanced in speaking the truth like I once did – but without the harshness.

He suggested when speaking to someone about a difficult situation, I try to do these things:  a) honor them by showing genuine respect & kindness, b) let them know what I value about them, c) share small pieces of information when that’s possible, and d) invite them to help find a solution.   If these don’t work, I’m to take additional steps to  hopefully help them see the issue.  It’s a way for me to strive to be more balanced in relating to people with grace and truth.

Maybe it’s something worth considering in your relationships too.