Speaking Faith and Speaking Truth

I share a lot about “speaking the truth in love.”  I think our doing this faithfully has the power to transform relationships and ultimately, lives.  Today Erin has an interesting perspective on speaking truth, that might be even true-er (is that a word?!) than how we normally speak… she’s talking about speaking faith.  (And the Santa illustration hits home for me – ask me if you want to know more about that!)  

Speaking faith is as vital as speaking truth.

I remember being around eight or nine years old when I finally decided to listen to my parents regarding lying. They had always said, “If you don’t lie to us, your punishment won’t be as hard.” Meaning that by lying, I’d be punished not only for my offense, but also for lying. I remember the day pretty well. My dad had been out of the Air Force for a matter of days, and we were living in a camping trailer just outside of town while finishing up some last-minute moving tasks. Soon, we would be headed off into the sunset to travel fourteen states in one year, attending four different schools, before finally settling in Wisconsin. 

But that day, I had intentionally hurt my annoying little brother.  

When mom and dad asked what I did and why I did it, I was quite forthcoming. And guess what? The punishment wasn’t severe at all. That day, they believed that my brother was being antagonistic and let me off with a warning. What newfound freedom was this?! A warning!

Fast forward to when I was in Jr. High. I had kind of taken this honesty thing to a place that I hadn’t realized. It was an odd moment sitting at a cafeteria table with my friends. They had been teasing each other, claiming that one student had something on his face. That student looked at me and asked, “Do I really?” He proceeded to comment about how I never lied and was always honest. I agreed with the joke, while making it very obvious that I was teasing.

This idea of honesty has been so ingrained in me it has become a part of my DNA. These days, as a mom, God has really been challenging me to watch the content in my speech. I’m a woman with a sarcastic sense of humor, which I am quite positive I inherited from my dad.

Sometimes, my honesty pops up in places that are often counter-cultural. 

A few months ago, our family celebrated Christmas. This has been a tricky time of year where most young children (like my sons) are happy to boast of the existence of Santa. From the time my oldest was a newborn, I have always been honest about Santa. This year, the topic of Santa and their belief came up a lot! No matter what I say, they insist on believing in Him. And honestly, I don’t fight too hard. I just make sure they know the truth. As a mom, I’ve heard of a lot of horror stories of kids questioning Jesus’ existence when they discover that Santa’s not real. I just have never wanted to disappoint my children by withholding the truth. I never want them to be able to look at me and say I didn’t tell them the truth. 

But then, a few weeks ago, I had another funny moment. My husband asked my four-year-old, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  My son’s response? A dinosaur. Obviously, he will never grow up to be a dinosaur, but this moment spoke deeply to my heart.

What if I immediately shot down his imagination with the “hard truth?”  (What if I only saw from the perspective of this world?)

What if my quest to be honest and “real” with my kids is actually limiting them? 

In 2 Kings 6, there’s a little story that is really small and yet profoundly big, at the same time. Elisha and his servant are in a pretty scary situation, but Elisha is full of peace and confidence. Elisha is feeling and behaving in a way that is the exact opposite of how he should be, considering he and his people are surrounded by an enemy army. In fact, where Elisha’s response is very supernatural, his servant’s is a very natural response to the same situation. But then, Elisha prays that his servant’s eyes would be opened. God is faithful to answer that prayer and through Elisha’s servant’s eyes, we see that God’s army was bigger AND surrounding the enemy army. 

So my question for myself (and for you) is, which mouth am I speaking with? Am I speaking with words that might have been spoken by Elisha? Words that are full of faith and confidence in what the Lord has for this moment? Or am I speaking with words that his servant might be speaking, the “realistic” words (according to the world’s standards)? 

This is what the Lord has been challenging me with: to look at my husband and my children and speak words of faith. I’m not talking about looking at my son and speaking that he will become a gazillionaire by the time he’s 18. I’m talking about looking at my son and telling him in his low moments that God will turn things around for his good and God’s glory. I’m talking about looking at my kids and telling them that they have a purpose and place in God’s kingdom when they’re feeling aimless and lost. I’m talking about looking at my spouse and kids and constantly speaking over them of God’s incredible love for them. 

I don’t want to speak just to the now, but to what God might do with their future.

I don’t want to speak just to their hurts, but speak about God who comforts us far better than any one person could ever begin to comfort.

Am I speaking with faith? Am I speaking with confidence that God is in the seen and the unseen? Am I challenging my family to look far and beyond their limitations to God, who is unlimited? Am I asking this of myself?

What about you? Is God challenging you in your speech too? How is He calling you to be His voice to your family?  

About Erin: She’s married to Justin, and is a mom to two little boys, Asher and Malachi. They live in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by mountains and evergreen trees. When she’s not blogging you’ll find her sipping on a caffeinated beverage while enjoying the adventures found in her current book!

You can find her writing at Momma’s Living Room, join her group on Facebook, and follow her on Pinterest, for teaching and encouragement!