Be Careful What You Say
“There is nothing concealed
that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have
said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in
the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” -- Luke 12:2-3
A friend has decided to join Facebook. He’s unsure if
it’s something he can do or if it’s something only for younger folks with far
more technical skills than he has. It’s easy, I told him. Just remember one
very important thing: Never post anything you wouldn’t want the world to read.
Some people would argue with me about privacy settings
and such. I stand by my advice. If you say it, whether publicly or in “private”,
those words could become public. So, watch your words.
Have you ever told someone something in private and
then had them repeat it to others? We’ve probably all felt that sting of
betrayal. Private conversations aren’t meant for everyone.
And you know what? We’ve probably all been guilty of
doing the same thing to someone else. It might not have been intentional but we
did it just the same.
That’s the thing about words, whether written or
spoken. You can’t ever take them back. The same is true of things that we do.
They can’t ever be undone. The consequences continue on and on. God will
forgive us if we repent and change course, but the consequences of our actions
remain.
The political arena is no different. Perhaps it’s even
more so. Those backroom deals really do exist. People work hard to cover up
misbehavior. And people sometimes skirt the law for financial or power gains.
The Democrats and Republicans are good at pointing
fingers. The truth is that both sides are guilty. One party’s guilt doesn’t erase
the other party’s guilt.
Certainly, we need compromise. We used to have that.
We had statesmen who reached across to those with opposing views in an effort
to find a middle ground that everyone could live with. We’re too polarized for
that anymore.
I am tired of it. How about you? Is Donald Trump
guilty of working with the Russians to influence the presidential election? I
don’t know. But I believe that the truth will eventually come out. Is Hillary Clinton
guilty of erasing emails? I don’t know. But I believe that the truth will
eventually come out.
God has a way of exposing deceit that can shake us to
our core. Denials don’t work. Lies piled on top of lies don’t work. Ugliness
can only masquerade as righteousness for so long before it becomes a bitter
expose on the life we really lead as opposed to the life we claim to lead.
There is freedom in truth and honesty. There is
freedom in keeping your own counsel, in taking matters to God first. There is
freedom in only saying what you wouldn’t mind anyone else hearing.
Truth comes out in the end. God makes sure of it. So
watch your words, whether you think anyone else is listening or not.
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