“Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?”—Galatians 4:16; NRSV

I am often told that my tenderness and softness are my super powers. That my words often quell the fire that is lit in my friend’s hearts. Yet there are times in my life when I look at the images on my television screen and see my tenderness and softness as a curse rather than a blessing because I want to shout from the mountaintops…STOP IT! Treat each other with radical love and respect.

After the election, I woke up to a different world than I thought we were moving towards. I have been weary in the midst of it all. I want to use my voice to speak up. But more than anything, I want to shut up and listen to those on the margins; to understand where they are coming from while also listening to the other side of the issue as well.

I have watched the images of the children in Aleppo whose crying has stopped and my heart simply breaks. I want to wake up the world to this injustice that is taking place. I want more than anything for these children  to know safety and peace; to not be afraid to go outside and play without fearing for their lives.

Telling the truth is hard and it can put strains on our relationships when both sides believe they are telling the truth. Is telling the truth worth the risk? Does telling the truth open our minds and hearts to be a part of the body of Christ without questioning one another?

There are some really great people in my life who teach me what it means to be a truth-teller. Truth-telling is scary, but it also often opens my eyes to see and my ears to understand in new ways. These truth-tellers have done exactly that for me in the last several months.

Will we open our mouths to tell the truth even when that is the hardest thing we could do? Truth was born in a stable in Bethlehem that holy night. Truth was born when this little boy came into the world to change the world and change us. Truth was born when this one promises to come down and rend the heavens.

Are we willing to believe in this truth and share his truth with the world?