Session 8

The reward for honesty is worth the risk

From Chasing Purpose: A 27-Day Devotional

Don’t you just love the honesty of children? If you want to really know the truth about your appearance, ask a 6-year-old.

Kids are brutally honest. No one has taught them yet that what’s on the outside should be different than what’s on the inside. To hear kids’ talk is refreshing — and often hilarious.

The truth doesn’t come as easily for adults. We spend quite a bit of time convincing others we are better than we really are. Our stock answer, “Everything is fine,” is designed to push people away so no one knows how we’re truly doing.

We want people to think the best of us, and many adults will develop a persona rather than shaping their personality. When we do this, we’re like a child who wears a costume and make-believes they are someone else. The difference is the child usually knows the difference between the real world and the fantasy world. Adults begin believing the lies.

This is one reason Christ-centered friendships are so important. Everyone needs at least one friend who has full access to every area of their heart. We need a friend who can be brutally honest with us and point out when we’re hiding behind a façade.

Why is this hard for us? Why is it so tough to give an all-access pass to our lives? To give that level of access we must trust explicitly.

In relationships, there is no trust without risk. It is risky to let our guard down and show someone what a mess we really are. It’s risky to let someone ask us the tough questions. What if they find out we don’t have it all together?

Relationships are risky and absolutely necessary. Sharing your mess with a true friend leads to a freedom that few experience. God wants to shape us, and He uses friends we trust to do that. The only thing keeping us from experiencing this kind of relationship is fear.

Are you ready to let God’s perfect love drive out fear?

Reflect:

• Who do you share you real reel with? Who has access to your innermost thoughts and feelings?
  
• When’s the last time someone told you something true, but hard to hear? How did that person’s courage shape what happened next in your life?
  
• What’s one way you’ve seen God work through godly friendships in the past?