Confronting with Truth

Let us not ever be overeager to confront another human being with needed truth, or at least with truth that we perceive is needed. Something else at the moment may be needed even more, if we can imagine that. Suppose we see that persons are in denial about some reality or fact in their lives or in the history of their lives. Suppose that we seek to bring that truth to light, but the lie that is being replaced is so central that it is propping up the entire life. Then if we attempt to kick out that prop there may be a great collapse, a great and devastating collapse. Suppose they have been unconsciously basing their daily functional sanity on that lie? Are we prepared to weep with them and to stoop and pick up the pieces with them, and piece together a more truthful and worthy life and sanity, all the while taking care that we aren’t falling or haven’t fallen into a similar delusion? (See Galatians 6) Are we prepared to be cursed and flatly contradicted and counter-accused? Because that, for openers, is what is likely to happen. And when it does a compassion must arise in us which overshadows any truth we offered or ever will offer. Yet the two are not separate, it is that very compassion that gives the truth any impact it can hope to have, convincing the person that you spoke because you cared. That you care deeply enough to approach at all becomes the bottom line.