A Pastor's Heart...With Medea's Mouth

Some have found my candor refreshing.

They appreciate my honesty and willingness to be transparent. They respect my straightforwardness.

Being direct has always been a part of who I am.

It’s also been a part of what gets me in trouble.

Sometimes I say TOO much.

Like the time I told a girl in an abusive relationship to “wipe the doe-eyed  Bambi look off {her} face”  when she denied knowing why I was there to check on her.

I had channeled TomTom from 13 Going on 30 and hadn’t realized the words were coming out of my mouth until it was too late.

The girl recoiled as if I’d struck the latest blow and I was positively sick to my stomach.

Not even because of what I said because, quite frankly, she’d protected him to the point where it was literally destroying her life.

But her reaction was a mixture of hurt and confusion and I was responsible for that.

I did apologize, though she was not going to accept it.

This allowed her to continue playing the victim, now with another attacker to condemn.

She called everyone, including my husband, to complain. Most, EXCLUDING my husband, found that I’d been very tame in my approach and shouldn’t worry about it.

He, though, had taught me what it means to have a pastor’s heart.  And while he’d thought the same things regarding this girl, he would’ve never called her out.

His philosophy is to plow around a stump until it falls over. This causes the least damage.

I plow around too. Until I get impatient.

Then I throw a stick of dynamite on the stump and back up.

I can see where his way might be better.

But is it the only way?

Sometimes I think my very frank conversations (the ones where I’m not quoting a rom-com mean girl) are what has allowed me to reach people on the streets and develop much deeper relationships.

I have a pastor’s heart…with Medea’s mouth. (Minus the cursing!)

Medea would tell you in two seconds flat what she thinks of you and what you need to be doing, and she will cut off any bull and gore you with the horns.

I don’t want to gore anyone but I don’t want to mince words either.

You have today. That’s all you’re guaranteed.

To paraphrase Garth Brooks...

 If tomorrow never comes…

Will you know how much He loves you?

Will you know how much He cares?

Or will it be too late?