Refreshing Honesty

I spent a few hours with an old friend tonight. Jim has been a spiritual hero to me since I was 18. One of the most impressive things about Jim is his honesty. He tells it like it is; he's an open book. Tonight I asked him to fill out a character reference for me, and he came right out and told me my weaknesses. "You lack self-confidence, and you're not assertive." True. And somehow he says it in a way that's not hurtful. "You know I'm not going to give you the highest marks on everything, right? Because then this reference would be pointless." He went on to share some of my strengths as well. Then later, "You're a good writer Bryan. My son-in-law has good writing skills too... they exceed yours." [lol!!] Now that's refreshing honesty!

Why is it that this sort of honesty is so rare? I imagine chatting with one of the apostles would have been similar. Brutal but loving truth shared in a way that builds and motivates rather than tearing down. Thanks for another refreshing evening Jim :o)