Boldness

Life regularly presents opportunities to speak up and say what you think ought to be said. Sometimes its a simple and natural thing to do. Its trickier at others though. Especially if the message, though needed, isn't really something someone wants to hear. Being brutally honest can have positive consequences but only if all the right factors line up for the communication.


Scriptural text captures the ponderings of others facing the question of speaking with boldness. In the Book of Mormon the prophet Nephi wrote approvingly of bold speech by men "inspired of heaven". Alma advised others to "use boldness, but not overbearance". In the Bible it is reported that Peter was effective speaking his mind because he was "filled with the Holy Ghost". And the apostle Paul counsels mixing boldness with "meekness and gentleness of Christ". An underlying theme is that those who genuinely love or care for others seem to do better when it comes to boldness.

All of this makes good sense, plus it resonates with what we've all known since we were kids. After all, even Mary Poppins knew that "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down".