After completing a recent spiritual gifts test, I bounded down the stairs to share my results with my husband. He looked at me and quipped, “I’m guessing you scored poorly in mercy.”

Why yes thank you, I did. How could you possibly know?

It was not the first spiritual gifts test I had ever taken, but it had been such a long time, and there was much I could not remember. The last time I took the test, I focused only on the strengths. This time it was the weaknesses that glared at me.

And I learned that I can be a harsh truth teller.

The test defined the gift of mercy as, “The special ability to aid the suffering or undeserving, and to spare them from punishment or penalties justly deserved.” I scored a 4 out of a possible 24. The only area lower was help and service.

Apparently, if you are stranded with a flat tire, I will not only refuse to help you, I will call you careless for running over the nail that flattened it.

I am very black and white. When I was living a reckless existence displeasing to the Lord, I knew it. I didn’t try to justify it as acceptable, I just didn’t care. When I see hypocrisy, unjust acts, or cruelty, I react with a decisive opinion of quick condemnation.

Fortunately for us, Jesus does not.

When we look at ourselves, we often want to skip the hard truth in scripture and jump straight to the mercy and grace. Truth is hard to face because it can expose the sin in our lives and requires us to acknowledge that we may have to change.

The apostle Peter discovered this when Paul confronted him In Galatians 2:11-13 about Peter’s unwillingness to eat with the gentiles. Peter had succumbed to fear of criticism by those who insisted circumcision was necessary. Because of this fear, he then refused to eat with the gentiles. As a fellow believer, it was Paul’s responsibility to expose Peter’s hypocrisy. It was Paul’s responsibility to tell the truth.

When we look at others, we often want to skip the grace and mercy and jump straight to truth when we see hypocrisy and other reprehensible actions. It is so easy to see the faults in others and grab the nearest megaphone to inform anyone who will listen (one look at social media is evidence of this).

As Jesus traveled through the town of Samaria in John 4, He met a woman at the well. She had been married five times and was now living with another man. She was amazed that Jesus spoke with her because Jews did not associate with Samaritans. Not only was He willing to associate with a Samaritan, but He was willing to associate with this Samaritan, an outcast among outcasts. He ministered to her and revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. Jesus illustrated a beautiful picture of grace. The truth was there, He just revealed it gently.

The Bible is absolute truth. God’s Word is unchanging, and what was applicable two thousand years ago, still stands today. Along with this truth is the clear message of grace. Jesus is the most beautiful representation of truth and grace the world has ever seen.

We cannot give others an abundance of truth without grace, and we cannot give an abundance of grace without truth. Both are essential.

What about your life? Have you asked God to show you where you fall short in your example to others? How can you be a picture of both truth and grace?