September 15, 2008

Speak the Truth

I confess to being a political junkie. I love this season when the candidates are busy trying to convince us that their ideas and perspectives are the correct ones. My favorite part is watching them try to bend and twist the truth to fit the situation of the moment. Politicians seem to be particularly adept at doing it. The pundits call it “spinning.” My guess is that God might call it a lack of truth.

Look at Zechariah 8:16 where we are exhorted to “speak the truth to one another, judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.”

Have you considered “truth” lately? We live is such a world of grey that from time to time it might be helpful to remind ourselves that although the Lord creates in color He judges in black and white.

And that leaves you and me with the task to live in truth – to speak truth – to behave in truthful ways – to relate to others with truth as the back drop – and to speak the truth in love.

We need to be truthful with all the BIG issues of life – like keeping our covenant commitments in marriage (Matt. 19:5), properly paying our taxes (Matt. 22:21), and ensuring that our business dealings are fair and accurate (Rom. 12:11).

But we also need to be truthful in all the LITTLE issues of life. We need to avoid exaggeration (a cool story shared around the proverbial water cooler still needs to be accurate). We need to stop making excuses that focus on someone else’s behavior rather than our own (you were probably late because you lack organization, not because your child dropped their milk at breakfast). We need to make sure that credit for a job well done goes directly to the person responsible and not subtly deflected our way. And the list could go on and on.

So, this week lets imagine that we are all are wearing a “truth-o-meter”. Every time we “fudge”, exaggerate, deflect, ignore or just plain lie, imagine that the “truth-o-meter” goes off. That loud wailing noise can help us all bring truth with a capital “T” back into our grey lives.

Let’s be like the TV pundit that declares “The spin stops here” Let’s speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

Warmest regards in Christ,
Sherry L. Worel
Stoneybrooke Christian Schools