Why does the truth sometimes hurt?

Wow. That is such a good question. The simple answer is the truth sometimes hurts because it may not be what we want to hear. For example, I asked one of my best friends at the beginning of the year, “Hey, do I look unhealthy to you?” And he was very blunt and said, “Yes.” Ouch! I couldn’t believe it. In my heart I knew he was right but I was hoping for a different answer. But, it was also what I needed to hear. John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” So, in my case, the truth kinda hurt.

But, you know what? A lie hurts more. A lie also does a lot more damage because it destroys trust. A lie can break up a friendship forever. The Bible says a lot about truth and lies and it is very consistent in its message. In fact, Proverbs 12:22 states it very bluntly, “The Lord detests lying lips; but He delights in men that are truthful.” Psalm 145:18 says it like this: “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

In fact, Jesus, Himself, started many of His sermons with these 5 words, “I tell you the truth…” Jesus spoke only truth to His followers. And, believe me, a lot of Jesus’ truth are so hard to hear! And the reason they are hard to hear is because they are somewhat hurtful. For example, when Jesus tells us that being angry with someone is just as bad as murdering them (Matthew 5:21-22), that’s hard to hear! It hurts me because I know I’ve been angry with someone to the point where I wished something bad would happen to that person. Yikes!

If you’re ever in the position where you have to make a decision as to whether to tell the truth and maybe hurt someone or tell a lie, remember what Jesus says is Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”