Choose the Hard Conversation:
Choose the Hard Conversation:
Healing Begins Where Courage Steps In.
Scripture:
Matthew 18:15 — “If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.”
Proverbs 12:18 — “There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Devotional Thought:
Let’s be honest — gossip is easy. Direct conversation is hard.
Not because we don’t want peace… But because peace usually requires courage, clarity, and humility.
Most of us avoid direct conversations because:
• We don’t want conflict
• We don’t want to hurt someone
• We don’t want someone upset at us
• We don’t want to be misunderstood
• We don’t want to admit our own fault
• We don’t know how they’ll respond
So instead of going to the person… we go around them.But Jesus never gave us that option. His entire ministry was built on honest, direct, relational engagement — not avoidance. He rebuked, corrected, encouraged, asked hard questions, confronted hypocrisy, and restored the broken… all through direct conversation. Healthy conflict isn’t the absence of tension — it’s the presence of truth and grace working together.
Think about this:
Most relational struggles don’t require a dramatic intervention.
They don’t require emotional blow-ups or hours of arguments.
Most struggles could be healed by one genuine conversation that says:
“Hey… this is how that made me feel.
Can we talk about it?”
That single step often clears up months of assumptions. Because 90% of the pain in relationships isn’t caused by what happened — but by what we think happened,
what we assumed they meant, or what we never clarified.
Direct conversation breaks the cycle of assumption. It pulls weeds of bitterness before they grow roots. It restores connection before distance becomes normal. If we’re going to choose guidance over gossip, we must be willing to take the harder, holier road:
Talking to the person we’re struggling with.
Not to win.
Not to shame.
Not to prove a point.
But to win them back… just as Jesus taught.
Reflection Questions:
- What conversation am I avoiding because it feels uncomfortable or risky?
- What assumptions have grown because I haven’t asked for clarity?
- What would change if I addressed the issue directly with patience and humility?
Prayer:
Jesus, give me the courage to walk toward the conversations I’ve been avoiding.
Replace fear with faith.
Replace assumptions with clarity.
Replace pride with humility.
Help me speak truth wrapped in grace, and to listen with compassion.
Make me a person who seeks reconciliation, not validation.
Lead me toward healing with the same gentleness You’ve shown me.
Amen.
Daily Practice:
Identify ONE person you need to speak with.
Today, don’t schedule the conversation yet.
Just prepare your heart:
Write down three things:
- What happened
- How it made you feel
- What you desire moving forward
Pray over these three things.
Ask God to align your heart with His before you initiate the conversation later this week.