Monday, February 8, 2010

Perched on the corner of a busy intersection like a modern day Joan of Arc in skinny jeans, an angry picketer raised her voice against violence. Her verbal shrapnel pelted passers by, scaring them mute. Most people either ignored or avoided her.

When I drove back by later that afternoon I watched as she threw her many signs in the trunk of her bumper-stickered car. Her righteous cause hung limp in the air like a popped balloon stuck on a wire. She'd spoken truth but lacked grace.

My mental dialogue dissected her approach. Is it enough to put it out there, even if it seems like an angry diatribe preached from a soapbox? Is hostile expression appropriate if the cause is just? Been there. Didn't feel real good about the outcome. But do we just keep quiet? How do Christians speak truth effectively?

Some of us tend to go to the opposite extreme by over-extending grace. I've done that too - rationalizing my point to death paralyzed by thoughts like: Is it my place to speak? Do I have the right attitude? Do my feelings really matter? What if I offend? Is my approach Christ-like? By the time I finished overthinking I'd missed the golden opportunity. So I did nothing. At times I even waited until the problem was so big that I no longer cared about the relationship. Grace without truth is not always effective for change. Sometimes it feels like being a doormat.

When I look at Jesus, I see the perfect middle ground. Unafraid of offending, he spoke truth without blasting. Yet his loving approach drew the masses rather than alienating them with angry rebuke. He cared more about souls than his reputation, and cut to the heart of the matter without beating around the bush.

I want to be like him. I want to be full of grace AND truth.