close only counts in water balloons

Ephesians 4:15 (New International Version)
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

ask anyone and they'll tell you. i am really really good at speaking the truth. in high school i won an award for being the most opinionated person in the senior class (and im guessing no one in the lower grades really came close either). i tell it like it is. i cannot remember the last time i told a lie. (i know i have before - i'm definitely NOT trying to say i have never lied, because that would be a lie. there was that whole makeup at a rich mullins concert inident in middle school - bad bad news). my friend sarah actually introduces me to people as sassy. members of my family ask me to confront other members about things because they know that i will say the actual truth.

i say all this to say: the hard part is speaking the truth IN LOVE. also if you know me, you would know that this is something i struggle with.

my latest campaign is the "get caught talking about someone behind his or her back BUT saying good, nice things." every time someone walks past and i was just saying something nice about them and they overheard i feel really good. and i think they might too. even if there are true bad things to say too. so go talk about someone behind his or her back today. try to get caught. its kinda fun.

im hoping that this is good practice for speaking the truth in love in confrontational situtions. when my dander gets up, its UP and while i try (and usually succeed) to fight fair (using "i feel" and "sometimes" instead of "you," "always" and "never") i dont necessarily fight nice. and i think i should.