Parakalein

I was recently at a conference in which one of the speakers challenged the group:  "You have to have someone who will speak truth into your life".

I wondered what that meant as it could be interpreted in at least two different ways.  One way is to speak a particular truth about what the other person is doing to corrector admonish that person.  In effect to speak the truth that you thing this person needs to hear, that he is avoiding dealing with, or is just blind to. The problem I have with this kind of truth telling is that it sets up a superior inferior paradigm when we are told that we are to think of others as better than ourselves (Phil. 2:4).

The speaker, as I listened, clearly was talking about having the courage to tell someone what truth you know they need to know.  It was about telling the truth not living the truth into peoples lives.

With a slight shift this all changes.  Another way of "speaking truth into another persons life is being truthful about my own failings and my experience of the all gracious grace of God's love."  It is leading with vulnerability and virtue that model for the other person the power of living in grace and loving form grace.
It is not speaking some particular truth or wisdom into another life that I in my wisdom think they need to know.  It is speaking the truth of whom I am, whose I am and who I can be. It makes honesty my leading strength, humility my guiding light, and holiness the source of inner wisdom.

Speaking truth into a persons life encourages them from the honesty of my struggles to be confident that God is always present even when it seems GOd is absent God is the most present.  This will be speaking truth in love which will cause all people to grow and mature into all God wants us to be.

This truth sets you free to love and be loving.  Who the truth sets free shall be truly free.