Last night, I was unusually excited for the Vice Presidential Debate. I'm not hugely into politics. I vote and I care about moral issues, but I try not to get too bogged down by all the rest. Probably the main reason I try not to think about politics too much is because it makes me angry. It's very difficult for me to listen to candidates try to sell themselves within a framework of total lies. IF the candidate meant what he said, sheesh, it would be stupid not to vote for him! But then, as always, we find out later from the fact-checkers- he LIED again! And not to say that lying doesn't happen on both sides, because it totally does, but the highest office in the land had to walk back some of the things its own candidate said last night. Ah the ignobility of even our "highest" (they might do well to heed Proverbs 17:7).
Before yesterday's debate, I had been thinking a lot lately, about the truth. I have been thinking about how difficult it is to ever get the truth. In fact, how do we ever know if we have really ever heard the truth from anyone on anything? We can check their facts, certainly. The only way to check if their opinions are true, is to watch their actions and see if they are both reconciled- and even then, they could be very astute actors. Otherwise, we can never know. It stinks.
And then, as I've come to this morbid conclusion: that I will never know if I'm being told the truth, it dawns on me, that is why God places such a high premium on it. Throughout scripture, He talks about the truth constantly. You can hardly read the Word without seeing verses on it. He calls Satan the "Father of Lies." In fact, this morning, in my own reading in Psalm 101, which is all about walking in integrity, I came across this verse on deceit: "No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes (v. 7)." Walking in integrity of heart and words is essential to the Christian life. In a murky world of probabilities, possibilities and opinions masquerading as truth, we need to stand out as beacons of honesty. And that's not always easy.
I have been working on this in my own life. The man I am married to is engineer through and through- and engineers wouldn't know hyperbole if they got wonked in the face with it (sorry darling, I love you so much). So in my own self-assessed-hilariousness, I often would weave tales of grandeur, just enjoying the storytelling. But, I soon realized, everything I said was being taken literally. And why shouldn't it be? Even in my frenetic tale-weaving, I need to be truthful. The English language is so full of ambiguities that it is easy to obscure the truth for our own personal gain. One person might refer to a handful as a "few" while another, as "many," and still another, as "some." This doesn't mean that the people are not being sincerely truthful. Because perhaps they are. And then again, perhaps they're not. If I don't want someone to know that I ate quite a lot of M&Ms, perhaps I would casually toss out the word "some" (and believe me, the M&Ms example is hitting very close to home here). Truth should not be based in perspective, but in facts. A lot of time, you can tell someone is envious of somebody else, if the words that they are saying about them are tainted with little flecks of exaggeration (also known as lies). It's astounding how much we fight telling the absolute truth. But that is what is required of us, and no less!
There are a few common scenarios, in which it is easy to "misspeak" (or LIE):
*When you say you'll do something and then...you don't. I am working so hard on this one. I had a person in my life, about ten years ago, who said this, EVERY WEEK that I saw her: "we'll have you guys over for dinner real soon." I became quite accustomed to this. She may have had the intention of fulfilling that, but she never did. And who hasn't done this? In more recent past, I have found myself not answering emails or text messages when I indicated I would. Argh! I'm sorry if you've been a victim of my unfaithfulness (or lack of truth). I am working on this and seeing that my words should be able to hold water! Granted, there are times when we say something and we just can't fulfill it. Then go to the person and confess that! I think of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:15-19. At the same time, I take his example which says that he "did not plan lightly." I don't want to plan lightly either! May I walk in integrity in what I say I will do!
*When trying to get your child to obey. I have caught myself telling my child that he/she will receive some unspeakable measure of discipline in the event that he/she does not correct certain behaviors. Yet when thinking it through (even briefly), I have no intention of doing such. We must not allow the desperation of a moment cause our child to lose trust in what we say, or cause us to uphold some dubious punishment. If you find yourself threatening, in such a situation, I think of Proverbs 6:2-3. Go to your child and humbly apologize for the threat acknowledging that it was empty though your expectation is still in place.
*When jealousy has filled your heart. You might find yourself tweaking details of a story so that you will smell a little bit fresher than otherwise. Confess your sin to the Lord. Acknowledge your weakness toward that sister/brother (assuming you're jealous of a believer), and zip your lips. Dwell on Ephesians 4:25 and try to build up the Body.
*To steal just a tidbit of God's glory. I don't think anyone thinks this in these words. But it happens. Sometimes, we might fog up the details if it means we get a bit of the glory. It's a hero-complex. If it makes you look that much better, you might allow the untruth to pass unbeknownst to another. Yes, it might be embarrassing to admit that sometimes, we want the fame, but it is pretty universal. Remember though, God won't share his glory with another (Isaiah 42:8). Pride is what is fueling this lying, so dwell on Proverbs 16:19, and know that the joy of temporal glory for yourself is so fleeting, so it's simply better to walk in humility.
*When I have to cover up what I did just a li'l bit. God is SO merciful to us. He is so kind to let most of our sins go unnoticed by almost all of the public. Think about it, how often are you brought low in front of others? Not as frequently as you might fear. But watch out when sin rears its ugly head, and you are caught red-handed. You might tell a squeaker to, ONCE AGAIN, make yourself look good. Ugh, ugh, and UGH! This is so underhanded and such a way of trying to avoid ownership. Next time you're caught, don't try to set up a deceptive web of defenses. Confession (followed by repentance) is a balm to the soul. So, pull a 1 John 1:9 and confess your sins. Fear of man is this sin's motivation. Don't add insult to injury on this one. Fear God only, and after, owning your sin will be easier and easier (Proverb 29:25).
*When I am just being lazy. You may not be able to relate to this one, but your kids can! If ever you ask them a question and get a half-hearted "I don't know," and you know they do, that's a LIE! I actually fall prey to this from time to time, when I just want to remain mentally checked out. Take the time to tell the truth. Take the time to force your kids to tell the truth. I think of Ephesians 5:15. It requires us to be careful how we walk. Being careful makes no room for laziness. In fact, the two are nearly antonyms. So be careful in the way you speak.
There are countless other scenarios in which we find ourselves lying. The ones I listed are off the top of my noggin, and are certainly not comprehensive. My point: we must have integrity in our words. We must place as high a premium on the truth as God does. I recently read in Disciplines of a Godly Family about the importance of emphasizing truthfulness. And I really enjoyed a quote from Dr. Samuel Johnson:
"Accustom your children constantly to this [the telling of the truth]; if a thing happened at one window, and they, when relating it, say that it happened at another, do not let it pass, but instantly check them; you do not know where deviation from truth will end...It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentional lying, that there is so much falsehood in the world" (Hughes 117- my emphasis).
JUST TELL THE TRUTH!
No comments:
Post a Comment