Staying Focused on Jesus 1.2.21

Staying Focused on Jesus - Saturday – Pastor Todd
Conversations of Grace
Colossians 4:6 (NIV)

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

In addressing how we talk, Socrates once gave this Matrix through which to sift our words, “Is it true, is it helpful, is it kind?” All three greatly matter and work together. The well-known song may claim that “two out of three ain’t bad,” but that falls short when it comes to our words.  Let’s play the two-out-of-three talking game for a moment.  

• If our words are true and helpful, but not kind, the person we are trying to help may never listen.  To say to someone, “Your breath smells like a dumpster,” probably won’t elicit quite the response you hoped would be helpful to them and everyone else.

• If something is true and kind, but it is not helpful, then we have just wasted our time, and someone else’s even saying it. “Yes, you really are terrible at math, but that’s ok” isn’t nearly as meaningful as, “Since you are struggling at math, you should call my friend Rick; he said he would be glad to help.”

• If what we say is helpful and kind, but it is not true, we are setting up false hope. “You are a wonderful singer” may be beneficial to someone’s self-image, but if that statement isn’t right, we may send them on a wild goose chase that will lead to a more considerable disappointment further down the road.
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Let’s make it our goal to have truthful conversations full of grace, said in a way that honors God, and filled with the wisdom that knows how to answer well.