84. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. Tough love; for him, sometimes plain tact can't get the job done.

6 January 2021
Happy New Year! 💞

A Time for Everything. A time to be silent and a time to speak. (Ecclesiastes 3:7b)

Express your love. 😘 Yet sometimes, we have to do it with candor.

Candor, related to the adjective candid, refers to straightforward honesty or frankness in speech or expression. The fact that it is frequently preceded by the adjective refreshing suggests that it is often unexpected, a shift from guarded or euphemistic language.(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Apostle Paul was a man of candor.

2 Corinthians 10
11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Let me share my reflection 20 September 2017.

“Tough love. Sometimes tact can't get the job done.

2 Corinthians 11
8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.
9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

2 Corinthians 11
11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

Apostle Paul must have been really exasperated with the Corinthians. Buhay ang puhunan niya sa mga iglesya ng unang siglo.

2 Corinthians 11
Paul and the False Apostles
2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.

There must be a third party creating confusion in the church, and causing frustration for Apostle Paul.

2 Corinthians 11
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.

At work, a project is delayed; some design details have been pending for about a month. I can't help expressing my disappointment during a meeting last week, with the Construction Management company and the Contractor key personnel. I said we are professionals and should deliver to expectation; I mentioned I was out of work at a time my children were starting college that I was getting crazy then, such that subsequently I take work really seriously. I added, our work provides for the needs of our respective families, hence we should love our jobs. They have responded to requirements after that.

“Lord, how precarious it is when things are not reasonable, and I need to convince other people to be considerate, to deliver their fair share. Ika nga, trabaho lang walang personalan. The situation may need for me to talk straight, to be stern. Lord, give me the wisdom such that other people will sense my sincerity from my words and that I mean the general good, and things are not to be taken personally. Let me speak of genuine regard for them as a concerned colleague. Lord, in such situations, lead me by the Holy Spirit, this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.””


As stated above, the fact that it (candor) is frequently preceded by the adjective refreshing suggests that it is often unexpected.

Here it is, from Our Daily Bread: 
Refreshing Candor By:  Bill Crowder

“Of the many things I love about my mom, chief among them may be her candor. Many times I have called to ask her opinion on a matter and she has consistently responded, “Don’t ask my opinion unless you want to hear it. I’m not going to try to figure out what you want to hear. I’ll tell you what I really think.”

In a world where words are carefully parsed, her straightforwardness is refreshing. It is also one of the characteristics of a true friend. Real friends speak the truth to us in love—even if it isn’t what we want to hear. As the proverb says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6).

As we walk with our Lord, may we allow Him to speak candidly to the true condition of our hearts through the Scriptures—that we might turn to Him and find His grace to help us in our times of need.”

My children's children will one day say, wala ka sa Lolo ko; for him, sometimes plain tact can't get the job done.

The Lord give us wisdom when we are to talk with people, given a precarious situation.

The Lord bless us. Amen.

Maraming salamat.




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