When love is a punch in the face

Love is patient and kind while remaining bold and courageous – doing whatever it takes to bring good to others. And this means it will not always be sweet and gentle. Sometimes love is like a punch in the face. It hurts, but it’s what we need to come to our senses.

While Nathan was cunning in his rebuke of King David for killing Uriah and taking his wife, it was a rebuke all the same. Nathan’s story about a poor man and his one little lamb served as the punch in the face David needed to realize his own guilt. And this was the duty of love. As it would not have been love to turn a blind eye to David’s sin or to otherwise fake the peace.

And, in a similar spirit, love might also call us to address the sins or shortcomings of our wife, friends, or loved ones. The point is not to be demeaning or attempt to distract from our own sins. But with a growing heart of sincerity we might courageously call out their hypocrisy, damaging emotional outbursts, secret sins, or the like.

To be sure, we’re mixed bags and a part of us might simply delight in putting others in their place. But this is not a pride we should fuel. Instead, bringing God’s goodness and kingdom of light to others should be our primary motivation.

Of course, this doesn’t guarantee others will receive our efforts well. While David was immediately convicted and sought repentance, others might reject what we have to say and even get angry with us for sharing despite our good intentions. We must then discern when it’s time to shake the dust off our feet and move on.

In the end, keep your mouth shut when you don’t have anything kind to say. But boldly speak up when a punch in the face is needed for the sake of love.

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