Sunday, August 23

One who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips.
—Proverbs 24:26

It is not uncommon to give people a kiss. We kiss those that we haven’t seen for a long time. We kiss friends when they depart from us. We kiss people during times of celebration. We kiss the ones we care about.  We sometimes even kiss our enemies.

A kiss often indicates great care or affection. There are times, however, when a kiss is merely a perfunctory action expected at certain junctures of life. Then there are times when we will give a kiss rather than do what we really need to do—tell the truth.

Most kisses are given on the cheek. A kiss on the lips is usually reserved for those we love very deeply or for those to whom we are very close. A soft kiss on the lips implies a level of intimacy that is special and unique between two people. At the moment that we receive a kiss on the lips, we become keenly aware of the strength of the bond we share with the person who has touched us with such tenderness and grace. 

Words of honesty and wisdom are like that kind of kiss. They are birthed from the willingness to be open to uncompromised truth—even when truth is not as easy to speak.  When we give honest answers, those who receive them are warmed by our truth.

Most surprisingly, when our soul is unafraid to give an honest answer, we find that we not only give a kiss on the lips—we receive one as well. The spirit of God reaches toward us with gentle tenderness that leaves us marked with heaven’s touch.

Gracious God, help me give the honest answer, the truthful reply, the pure-hearted response so that I and others will feel the kiss of intimacy.