Speaking truth in a world that often doesn’t take it too well is a very difficult task. Difficult because many people will hear the truth and not be willing to accept it.

Some will even get mad at you if you are truthful with them. You could lose friendships or even more sadly, family members. Simply because you told the truth.

Often, it doesn’t even take the truth to offend someone. Some may even want to lash out in anger over a difference of opinion or idea they don’t like. How sad it is that we live in a time when that has become the norm for far too many people.

However, only when the truth is told and accepted will there be a good chance for positive steps to be taken that will lead to improvement.

Whatever happened to the days when the truth was expected or even demanded? What happened to the don’t lie or your nose will grow days? What happened to the days when it was okay to have a difference of opinions or ideas and not hate the other person(s)?

What happened to believing the wisdom of Gandhi who is credited with the saying, “Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth?”

All too often, coaches are faced with players or sometimes parents who question why they or their child aren’t getting enough playing time or maybe what they need to do to get more playing time. This is where it gets tricky for the coach.

Does the player and or parent(s) really want to know? In other words, do they really want to hear the truth? Perhaps the truth could hurt to hear. To be truthful, the coach may need to tell the player and/or their parent(s) that they or their kid just isn’t very good or at least good enough.

Ouch, that could really hurt. But why, if it is the truth?

Perhaps it is an athlete who is not getting the playing time that they or their parent(s) wants for them. If the coach is to be truthful, it is possible that there is not much that the athlete could do to earn more playing time.

Why? Perhaps the kid is simply not an athlete. Double ouch.

If the coach was allowed to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, they might be viewed as rude or disrespectful and perhaps even ruining the child’s dream. They will likely be blamed for not encouraging the kid or building them up.

Maybe though, if the coach was allowed to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, they could recommend that the child participate in another sport or activity all together. It could be that what they recommend isn’t even sport related.

However, if the kid and parent want the truth, which most will contend that they do, they should accept that it might be something that they don’t want to hear.

Now, rest assured that I’m not attempting to indicate that coaches are always right in their assessments of athletes. What I am saying however, is that if you ask the coach for his or her honest assessment, then you should be ready to hear it…the truth.

Furthermore, you should be ready to hear it without accusing the coach of ruining dreams. What if we approached it another way. One in which we looked at the coach not as a killer of dreams but as a liberator of hostages. Maybe a kid is a hostage to a sport that they just aren’t any good at even after attempting to play and work at it for a long time.

By allowing a coach to tell the truth that perhaps the given sport is not a fit for the athlete, the coach is liberating the kid from the sport so they can find something that fits them much better.

Many of us have heard the biblical verse as stated in John 8:32, “the truth will set you free.” By a coach telling a player or their parent(s) that the kid is not good enough to play or perhaps even that they are not an athlete, they are in effect setting the kid free to try something else.

Thus, rather than accusing coaches of being rude or disrespectful for telling the truth we should actually be crediting them with directing kids toward something that might be a better fit for them.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin often references hostages when speaking of players on his team. He makes clear that he doesn’t want hostages on his team. Rather, he wants willing participants.

Again, if we look at a coach freeing a player by telling them the truth, they can find an activity or maybe even a team that is a better fit for them and thus, not only be freed from their captivity in one sport but also be delivered to freedom and happiness in another.

Yes, there is little doubt that the truth sometimes or even oftentimes hurts. Maybe it hurts a little or maybe it hurts a lot. But, if we acknowledge that the truth is necessary and beneficial, we can understand that the truth can and often does set us free to do what we need to do to be happier and more successful in pursuits that fit our skills and interests.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all be free to speak the truth in love without consequences or repercussion? Wouldn’t it be nice if all would be willing to hear the truth without offense? If we were willing to speak and hear the truth at all times, we would all be freed from the captivity of our own thoughts that just might not be reality.

Now, that would surely be liberating and that my friends, is the truth.

The bottom line is, if you are seeking the truth, then be willing to accept it. If you are the deliverer of the truth, be sure to deliver it with compassion. If both sides are committed to communicating responsibly, the speaking and hearing of the truth should be a welcomed sound.

By agreeing to tell the truth with compassion and to hear the truth without judgment or anger, we would go a long way in doing what is best for the kid(s) involved. Such an agreement would be one that society in general could surely learn and benefit from as well.

With compassion, I contend that is the truth.