Pastor Andrew “Hammo” Hamilton caught up with Leah and Dan recently, to talk about how sometimes your friends are the ones who tell you what you really need to hear.
A little while back, I caught up with a friend I hadn’t seen in ages. We talked about life and everything in between. But as we talked, I noticed something. She talked a lot, but much of it was critical. As I listened, I started to wonder, Should I say something? I didn’t know her well enough anymore so I stayed quiet.
That night, just before I fell asleep I typed out a message to my wife: “Caught up with X. Geez she can talk and a lot of it was really critical.” I hit send. Then I realised, I’d sent it to the wrong person. My heart sank. I was mortified.
The next morning, I got a reply. She wrote, “I bet you wish you’d sent this to your wife instead of me.” I apologised and braced for backlash. But her second message floored me.
She said, “A lot of people don’t tell me the truth. I’m strong. Forceful. People stay silent. But what you said, I needed to hear it.” She could have snapped. But she saw the good in it.
There’s a verse in Proverbs that says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted.” This one was definitely an accidental wound. But she still chose to hear the truth in it.
And it made me think. What if someone close to you wanted to tell you something hard, but didn’t feel they could? What would they say? That question has stayed with me.
Maybe you already know what that thing is. Maybe your imaginary friend is whispering it to you now. If that’s the case, do something about it.
Don’t wait for an accidental text to bring it into the light. I did. And it changed something, for both of us. Because even the most awkward moment can carry truth, if we choose to hear it.
Listen to the full conversation below.