If it is uncomfortable…I don’t want to think about it!

Probing Proverbs 12:17-19 An honest witness tells

the truth; a false witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon                                                                          exposed. 

This is from a court record:

Lawyer - Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
Doctor - A: No.
Lawyer - Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
Doctor - A: No.
Lawyer - Q: Did you check for breathing?
Doctor - A: No.
Lawyer - Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you
began the autopsy?
Doctor - A: No.
Lawyer - Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
Doctor - A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

Lawyer - Q: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
Doctor - A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

Our words can reveal more about us than we wanted! In this account it reveals in a funny way…in this case a lawyer…that wants his way so badly that he stops using his brain. In the Proverb we are looking at, we encounter a much more serious problem.

There are two kinds of dialogue that come out from us. One: Tells the truth, brings healing and stands the test of time!

The other: Tells lies, makes cutting remarks and lies are soon exposed!

Those are the symptoms, but we need to seek what is the “core” problem, so we can reject the wrong path and remain on the correct path. This is a major problem I find in this world today. Whether it is, political, environmental, social or faith issues, most folks are content to try and deal with only the symptom! That may bring a quick solution to an immediate discomfort, but it will not resolve the real problem. To really deal with a problem we must face the source that produces the reality of the problem.

Sadly, due to selfishness, a self driven agenda and an unwillingness to listen to all points of view, anyone that endeavors to have an honest dialogue on any issue that is at that time the “flavor” of the moment, will be devoured by those who demand their way, not really interested in Truth, just their agenda. The media has become the greatest conduit, whether deliberately or naively…only God knows the heart…to be used for the “character assassinations” that take place on a regular basis. Jesus Christ points to the source that produces the problem:   

Jesus stated two interesting truths:

Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Luke 6:45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

Jesus makes it clear that the source of the problems that mankind deals with is not what's going on outside, but it's what's going on inside! I do stand in amazement of how many people I have encountered, read from, or listen to, that will wax lyrical about how great the “historical man” Jesus was, how loving He was, how embracing He was, how nonjudgmental He was, oh and yes let's not forget, how inclusive He was. Scripture verifies all of that, yet the minute Christ is quoted or Scriptures are shown that go against what a particular individual's or group's agenda is, Jesus is easily dismissed!

The agenda is so strong that individuals will not only change what Christ or the Scriptures state, but they will even try and deny what was said! God has given every human being the right to disagree and even reject what He states about Himself in the Scriptures. Yet it seems that human beings are not willing to “man up” enough to take their stand and just state they just don't agree. They skirt the issue, deflect the path, or most times begin personal attacks against the individuals that are simply quoting what Christ or the Scripture said.

This is why we cannot have an honest dialogue concerning the deep social divides we have in our world today. We are not committed to take a stand on what we believe the “Truth” to be, accepting the right of others to disagree, WITHOUT maligning, attacking, demeaning or even killing them. We are not mentally mature enough to “agree to disagree” but instead we change the historical facts and documents from which their beliefs come from, rewrite history, acting like it will change what the truth is. Our inability or unwillingness to travel in “Truth” neuters us as a society to embrace an honest dialogue, giving grace and tolerance to views we disagree with, which would enable us to live with each other respecting different convictions and learning to mature as a society. That of course means, in a Republic, where the majority rules, not everyone is going to get what they want.

For example, I hate abortion, but it is the law. I will continue to hate it, vote against it, but will not hurt or attack people on the other side. I will state plainly what I believe abortion to be, I will show the medical facts of conception and birth, I will refuse to play games with words; so, like an unborn whale is exactly that, I will refer to an unborn human as exactly that, not a “fetus” or “unviable tissue,” or some other term that deflects what is going on. A fertilized Human egg will and can only produce a Human, not something else. Planned Parenthood is not selling “auto parts” they are selling “Human” parts! I have ministered to individuals that work for Planned Parenthood, also many who are pro-abortion, and many that have had abortions. I share how God loves them and desires to have a relationship with them. However, if they ask me what I think about abortion, I move the discussion away from my opinion, which is not very important and can be very biased, and share with them from what I am convicted is the “standard” of Truth. I show them where the Scripture speaks about protecting the weak and helpless, where God states that all children are His, that He knits individuals in the womb, that God knows every person before they are born, that killing a baby in the womb is the same as killing an adult according to scripture, and that when the act of conception takes place…the sperm fertilizing the egg…a “sinner” is created! An “it” cannot be a sinner, only a human can. What they do with this information is between them a God, I will continue to love and pray for them, no matter how much I disagree.

If they push me for my opinion I will share only one thought. If left alone in the womb, what will that fertilized Human egg come out as? A Human, nothing else. When does it become Human? No one except God knows how that works, therefore benefit of the doubt must go to the innocent that it will cost the most! The woman will be inconvenienced for less than a year; the baby inside her will lose everything. Even a murderer is innocent until proven guilty in the USA, how can we not afford a fertilized Human egg that same privilege? Abortion is judge and executioner at the same time.

Sadly if the media was interviewing me today, I would be under personal attack in moments. Some would call me a compromiser, because I respect the law, even though I vehemently disagree with it. Most would call me a woman hater, a female oppressor, someone that wants to rule over another’s body…oh yes…a religious fanatic. Like this Proverb states: “A false witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks.” The truth is I hold an opinion that others don’t like, but because they are driven by agenda, or just too lazy, instead of engaging in an honest dialogue, they attack and demean.

One last thing this Proverb states about false words…”but lies are soon exposed.” As uncomfortable it is to consider, we must all stand before our Maker and answer for our life. If that does not make you uncomfortable, you have numbed yourself to reality. I find it uncomfortable! No one knows except those that have already died, what happens after that. I know what I believe, but since it is not sight, there is always the “nervousness” of “what if I am wrong?” I firmly believe I will see Christ immediately after my soul leaves my body, but if I am honest I must admit that if the Scriptures are not true, if Christ did not come back to life, I am in for the shock of my existence! Paul even spoke on this. I am honest enough to admit that! Today’s world though, does everything it can to drown out the possibility of eternal accountability, it is too uncomfortable!  

What about you? How honest are you with the “Truth?” Are you willing to consider a point of view that makes you uncomfortable or feel uneasy? Or do you think you know, so you don’t think, reflect, or meditate?