love and the truth

I was talking to Rachel tonight on AIM, and we were discussing arguing. That is, we were talking about arguing. She observed that Will and I are impossible to argue with because we've never thought that we were wrong. I really think that everyone thinks that they are right. No sane person holds views that they know to be incorrect, but I have a tendency never to give up. I take it a little bit too far. I've been picked on for this trait my entire life, that of knowing that I am right and there is no way that it could be otherwise. But the truth is I'm wrong sometimes. I'm probably wrong a lot more than I admit and probably more than my friends tell me (I have gracious friends, thank you to those people).

I told Rachel the ideal which I am pursuing. "What I'm trying to learn is how to discuss truth with people in a loving way." I think it's amazing how Christ was so blatant in the way he spoke the truth, yet people knew He loved them. They had to know that, or they would not have followed Him. Miracles may have spread the word, but it was times like the woman at the well in Samaria, where there was no miracle only the truth, when we see whole groups of people believe. How is it that I can speak the truth and love people? (Of course I have even greater incentive to love people well because unlike Christ, I might be wrong, and a good way to get people not to like you is to loudly proclaim that which is false.)

So this is my quest. Ephesians 4:15, "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." Now I just need to work out exactly what that looks like in my everyday life.

Be intoxicated by Christ.