One Simple Truth - Day 3: Half of a story may lead to a whole lie.

“Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. The first to speak in court sounds right— until the cross-examination begins.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭13‬, ‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Politics can be very dirty. One of the most egregious practices employed in political rivalries is that of looking for a “soundbite” to be repeated out of context to convey a different meaning than the person speaking intended. Of course, the purpose of this practice is often to smear the opponent’s character, intentions, beliefs, etc.

Not seeking the truth of a matter, of any matter, by those forming an opinion, particularly a negative or hostile opinion about anyone, can be extremely detrimental.

Among children, there is often the phenomenon our family has come to call the “mumble-scream.”

To explain: Some children learn how to provoke other children without being obvious about it.

The one “mumbling” does something sneakily to the other child, provoking the other child to “scream,” that is, do something obvious, such as hitting them. In this scenario, the “screamer” is often the only one punished.

Now, it’s not surprising that children do such things to each other. But it is very sad, and is often very destructive, when adults engage in such behavior. And make no mistake, it is very displeasing to the Lord.

Going back to our first example (information taken out of context), whether readily believing something without personally seeking out the truth about it, or being the one presenting a half truth, it is wrong.

As well, to be part of a mumble-scream scenario, where there is the deliberate effort to cause someone to react in a negative way, is also wrong.

In our scripture, we see that the proverbial writer makes clear that it is foolish to hear half of a story and pass judgment, or to hear some of the facts without searching out the whole truth.

I will caution you that when we hear something that fits into our own agenda, fits into the narrative we want to believe, it is very tempting to immediately grab onto what’s being presented, accepting it as truth. We might even spread it to other people.

This being a real temptation, let us make sure to seek the whole truth, before accepting anything as truth.

Lazy thinking and hasty conclusions can lead to a world of hurt. And often, that world may be our own.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim #OneSimpleTruth