Together We Thrive 

Speaking the Truth in Love

By Jenn Hutchins, Virginia Beach, VA, USA

Scripture Reading:

Ephesian 4:14-16 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Recently, my husband and I had the wonderful privilege of visiting a church in a beautiful tropical area of our country with friends. We were struck by the glorious sight of the ocean, in all its power and majesty. We visited a certain beach, with a reputation for wonderful sea life and even sea turtles, but also thunderous waves! Our two husbands ventured out first, to see if it was safe and worth the hassle of swimming past the huge waves. After a long swim, they came back like the twelve spies in Deuteronomy 1, with glowing reports. They saw many unique and colorful fish, interesting and beautiful sea urchins, and two sea turtles! My husband said (and I quote), “The waves are no big deal; once you swim past them, it is pretty calm. It’s totally worth it!” So my friend and I ventured out. I was wearing flippers, but she was not. I kept checking to make sure she stayed with me, but she kept drifting out. As we surveyed the ocean bottom, supposedly perusing the glorious sights, of which there were many, my head was a bouncing ball, up and down checking my surroundings. The swells, that were supposed to be no big deal, had increased in size, and were heaving us up and down and towards the shore, then sucking us back out. Though amazing things were all around us, I was distracted, fearful, worried about my friend with no flippers, who seemed to be constantly drifting out farther, stressed, and just all around miserable. We worked our way back in after a short while. “Wasn’t that incredible?” my husband asked, expectantly.

As I contemplated the passage in Ephesians 4, I couldn’t help thinking of this occasion. I was not thinking of Jesus, nor at peace, while being blown and tossed by the wind and the waves. When we are in that state, we lack the joy and appreciation for all of the glorious blessings God has given us and the miracles happening all around us. Often we don’t even realize the influence that the world has on us, and the teaching from it that seeps in and shapes our hearts and our thinking. Satan, the Deceiver, loves to send us into confusion. Social media shapes us, with “essentials” for every area of our lives. We are influenced by others in our life stage, and current cultural (but worldly) norms can weaken our biblical convictions. But the scripture says that instead of being blown and tossed by every wind of teaching, we need to speak the truth in love to one another, so that we will grow and mature. This scripture is not talking about telling each other everything we need to work on in our character, but rather speaking the truth about Christ! Paul encourages us to do this in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 as well. We need to continually remind one another to focus on Jesus, the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). Paul models this for us in Colossians 3:1-3. After speaking extensively on the supremacy of Christ, he tells us to fix our hearts and minds on things above, when surrounded by the wind and waves of this world. The disciples of Paul’s day were familiar with the account of Peter actually walking on water, and of Jesus rebuking the wind and the waves during a storm. These accounts would probably have come to their minds, when hearing these words in Paul’s letter. Much like today, those disciples would have been surrounded by many worldly teachings and fine-sounding arguments, and would have needed the support of one another to remember Jesus. To people of that day, the sea was a place of trepidation, symbolizing mystery and destruction. That is our world! We need to remind one another regularly of where our focus needs to be — on the life and heart of Jesus! Just as my friend needed me to make sure she did not drift too far out to sea, I needed her to help me appreciate the beauty all around me under the surface! Let’s thrive together and resist the voices of the world blowing and tossing us, and instead, love each other by speaking the truth to one another about our Lord: the One who rebukes the storms and walks above the waves!

Reflection Questions:

1. What “wind and waves” may be preventing you from maturing in Christ, perhaps with worry, fear, a lack of gratitude, a lack of peace, or confusion? What area of knowledge about Christ do you need growth in to overcome these issues? Who could speak the truth of Christ to you in these areas to help you mature?
2. Why do you think Paul tells us to speak the truth in love to one another? What does that look like for you? What would speaking the truth look or sound like, without love? What would lead us to speaking it without love?
3. Read Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. In what ways do you see yourself, or others around you, speaking the truth in love about Christ? In what ways can you take this further, and to whom?

About the Author

Jennifer Hutchins currently serves as a deacon’s wife alongside her husband Paul in the Hampton Roads Church in Virginia, USA. She became a Christian in Toronto, Canada in 1985. She has served in the full time ministry in Toronto and Vancouver Canada and then as unpaid ministry staff in Los Angeles and currently in Virginia in the US. Her recent retirement as an elementary school teacher has enabled her to fully devout her time to the ministry. She is among the first women to serve on the board of the Hampton Roads Church. She enjoys authoring children’s books, traveling and hiking. She has three adult children, a grandson and another grandchild on the way.