To Tell the Truth

            Truth-telling seems to be a lost art in our world, but it is at the very heart of what is required to make a society healthy, safe, and prosperous.

            Students cheat on exams and papers at their schools and colleges; schools and colleges then lie to accrediting agencies about their student GPAs or job placement rates. Journalists get caught and have to confess to making up quotes from persons they never interviewed; a husband or wife gets caught and has to confess to all the lies told over time to hide a long-standing affair.

            We appoint committees and blue-ribbon panels to investigate the adequacy of regulatory mechanisms for Wall Street. We put compliance officers in place for businesses of all types. One writer claims his research on American corporate life shows that somewhere between ten and twenty percent of the payroll of the typical corporation is spent for people whose job it is to watch its own employees, its suppliers, and its customers for fraud.

            Truth-telling as a way of life cannot be crated by laws, codes of ethics, stiff fines, and jail terms. Personal integrity as a way of life comes about only from the soul of a man or woman with character.

            If I lie to you, I demean you as a person – deliberately misrepresenting the facts or withholding from you something you have the right to know. Thus the paternalism of some physicians or families to a patient who is seriously ill.

            If I lie to you, I am robbing you of your freedom – forcing you to make decisions on the basis of false or misleading information. Thus the tactics of some salespersons or televangelists.

            If I lie to you, I am arrogant in the extreme – playing a role which says I have the right to decide when you should be given full-enough information to make your own informed decision and when I should make that decision for you instead. Thus the strategy of certain political or religious leaders that puts others at jeopardy for the sake of some end-justifies-the-means scheme.

            If I lie to you, I deny my relationship to God as the father of my spirit – and identify myself with Satan, who is the father of all lies.

            It isn’t a new problem. In Jesus’ time, people played games with truth-telling too. “Swearing” by one’s one head, Jerusalem, or heaven was less binding than an oath taken with God’s own name. The issue wasn’t vowing to speak truthfully in court but simple, straightforward honesty in the daily routine.

“Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. . . . Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything more is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:34-37 NLT).

Jesus’ words still mark the path that is right for us to travel today.

“If You Died Tonight, Would You . . .”

            My guess is that you can finish the headline of this essay. It is the opening line used for millions of evangelistic conversations. People going door to door. Kids on the beach. Bosses or workers in offices. Total strangers on subways or busses. “If you died tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?”

            I don’t recall ever using that approach with a stranger. I’m not even sure I’ve used it with people I know reasonably well. It isn’t that I want to fuss with people who use that approach, for I’m sure there will be people with Christ forever because someone used that line to get them to thinking about salvation.

            It’s just that most of us aren’t going to die tonight or tomorrow. We’ll live another few days and weeks, perhaps months and years. That’s why I think a better question might be this: “If you wake up tomorrow, do you have a clear plan for using the day to honor Christ by the way you will use it?”

            Think about it. When Jesus talked about what would happen after death, he asked people to think about what they had done for people who were sick, cold, hungry, and homeless. He even wanted to know if they had gone to people who were serving jail sentences. He didn’t ask about the sorts of things we tend to have on our lists. He wanted to know about the fruits of righteousness.

            Jesus clearly believed what his brother in the flesh wrote: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’ – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:14-17 NLT).

            See there? No mention of the Sinner’s Prayer, baptism, or church attendance – whether Sunday or special services. The focus for Jesus and James wasn’t one-time or special events. It was about a type of faith that went so deep that it actually transforms the person who has it. It makes her into a generous and sympathetic person. It produces integrity in his business dealings and fidelity to his family. It makes others glad they get to be around them.

            So let’s assume that you aren’t going to die tonight. What is in your plan for tomorrow that would count as evidence you’d have gone to heaven if you had?

Now Come the Olympic Games

 

            The headline stories of the past month have been child abuse, college athletics, and murder in a theater complex. During the same period but relegated to the bottom of the front page have been the Syrian civil war, the American presidential race, and the ongoing global financial crisis.

            Now the lead stories are from London. The Queen of England does a cameo role with cinema’s James Bond, and Paul McCartney sings rock’s quintessential nah, nah, nah, nahs of Hey Jude. Some 10,500 athletes are competing in the official events. Favorites fail; unknowns triumph. Heart-warming stories emerge – like that of a legally blind South Korean archer winning the gold medal and setting a world record in the process or an American cancer survivor.

            So which is it? Murder or games? Syrian shelling or spectacular fireworks? Royalty and superstars or executioners and monsters? Should you and I fall on our faces in tears or stand up to cheer? Do the contrasts confuse you?

            This is life! Reality follows no script. There is – and always will be – a random mix of good and evil, fine fortune and unwarranted grief. We could wish for happy endings to every story, but life just doesn’t work that way. Maybe the worst thing of all is that some people think that there is a script and that people are either “getting what they deserve” or “living out the will of God.”

            The truth of the matter is very, very different. Most of what happens in this world is not the will of God, but our goal must be to react to everything in a way that honors his will for humanity. People aren’t always getting what they deserve, or we can’t make sense of Joseph in an Egyptian prison or Jesus on a Roman cross. History is replete with pious martyrs in graves and evil tyrants on thrones.

            It must be this way. Life now is a probationary and testing time; heaven comes at the end and as the reward for faith. If everything “worked right” for those who are Christians, we’d all be Christians just to avoid the hassle and stress. If suffering were always and only one’s “just desserts,” why should we feel sympathy or show kindness rather than kicking her while she’s already down?

            If you’re into the Olympic Games or long walks or family dinners, enjoy. Be grateful, and share the delight. If you are walking through a dark valley of illness or bankruptcy or loneliness, mourn. Be humble, and ask God for strength.

            Life is a mysterious mix that refuses to yield to bumper-sticker solutions. Your situation today neither tells God’s opinion of you nor reveals your worth as a man or woman in his image. It is simply what it is. How you choose to deal with it translates your faith into deeds and defines your relationship with God.

            “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12 NIV).

Shall We Bully the Bullies?

 

            Bullying has become a topic of national concern. Some of the conversation may be overblown, for who doesn’t come in for some ribbing over his big ears, her first pair of eyeglasses, or a crush on the girl in his Sunday School class?     

But bullying crosses a line that is pretty clear and obvious. If it started as “good-natured fun,” it has progressed now to the point of bringing anger or tears to the surface. Past that point, the razzing or teasing has become mean-spirited. It is being used to wound or humiliate. Bullying is tripping, shoving, or hitting someone to inflict physical harm. It is mean-spirited taunting that inflicts emotional pain. It is gossiping or lying to humiliate or exclude someone.

            Today’s highly disconnected world of people who “connect” through social media can be especially cruel. Fragile persons who have been mocked and taunted via cruel postings have taken their lives as a result of such behavior.

            One of the worst bullying episodes of late involved a 68-year-old grandmother and bus monitor who was targeted by a posse of junior high boys on a school bus. Karen Klein was verbally assaulted for ten minutes or more with cruel affronts ranging from her weight to her son’s suicide some ten years ago. The video of their taunts and sneers went viral on YouTube.

            Guess what? The bullies immediately became the targets of vindictive taunts themselves. They have been reaping what they sowed, all right. Here are just a few posts about the merciless mob that attacked Ms. Klein:

• “These kids need to be found and have their #@*% teeth knocked out.”
• “These punks are already lost causes. Their parents are worthless, incompetents who should never have been allowed to breed.”
• “Please, can we lock these punks in a room with Jerry Sandusky ASAP!!!”

But what about this whole business of tit-for-tat and putting it back in their faces? So long as verbal abuse, malicious threats, and physical violence are met with more of the same, the vicious cycle is never going to end.

I hope the school officials and parents punished the boys appropriately and that they saw the error of their ways and apologized. They shouldn’t get by with it. Having said that, it’s amazing how self-righteous and judgmental all of us are tempted to be when something like this happens. I am bad at it. I am too quick to judge the people who judge and to be hateful with folks who have been hateful.

Lord, forgive our foolish ways; teach us the ways of peace. Help us neither to insult nor to retaliate, neither to bully nor to bully the bullies. Instead, help us to hear this word above the temptation: “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it” (1 Peter 3:9 NLT).

The Rise of the “Nones”

Human beings are spiritual beings. We speak freely of our minds, hearts, or spirits – knowing full well that we aren’t talking about physical organs. Maybe you prefer the term personality or character. But you know these terms are more than alternate ways to refer to the brain or to a set of bodily processes.

Religion is not serving our spiritual lives very well these days. Don’t believe it? The March 12 issue of Time cited “The Rise of the Nones” as one of the ten ideas changing the lives of Americans. “The fastest-growing religious group in the U.S. is the category of people who say they have no religious affiliation. Sometimes called ‘the nones’ by social scientists, their numbers have more than doubled since 1990; major surveys put them at 16% of the population.”

Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. offers this explanation: “Religion has become an ugly thing. People of faith usually respond to that ugliness – by which I mean a seemingly endless cycle of scandal, controversy, hypocrisy, violence and TV preachers saying idiotic things – in one of two ways. Either they defend it – making them part of the problem – or they regard it as a series of isolated, albeit unfortunate, episodes. But irreligious people do neither.”

He is correct. So, if you are a Christian, you would be wiser simply to admit the point. Be embarrassed over it. Apologize for it. Then ask God both to forgive you of any part you have had in scandal, hypocrisy, or offense and to help the people who call themselves his children to act more like their father.

The problem isn’t new. Old Testament prophets lamented the fact that people were putting attendance at religious events in the place of integrity and gifts to good works in the place of compassion to their neighbors. So Amos and Isaiah spoke for the Lord to say, “I cannot bear your evil assemblies. . . . Even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen” (Isaiah 1:13-15).

Jesus made the same point about religion in his day. So why do we still not get it? Why does “organized religion” still drive people away from God?

If religion is getting in the way of your quest for God, just remember that God and religion are not the same. Please don’t give up on him because of us.

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows” (Isaiah 1:17 NLT).

That would be a beautiful alternative to “religion” as too many know it.

The Root of the Problem

 

Physicians are trained to trace symptoms to their root causes. Then it is the root cause – not just a presenting symptom – that gets treated. We can all be grateful for that. What would happen, for example, if headaches simply were prescribed aspirin and belly aches got antacids without further tests?

The obvious answer is that many people would die from the serious underlying diseases behind their relatively minor symptoms. Symptoms are like the red lights that appear on the instrument panel of your car. Don’t smash the annoying light. Change the oil or find out why the engine is overheating. To focus on the symptoms rather than what is behind them just isn’t very smart.

Without wanting to be unkind, let me try to be clear. We human beings aren’t terribly responsible when it comes to the basics of living. Forget stomachaches for a minute. Let’s talk about financial responsibility, intact families, or spiritual life. Are we treating symptoms or addressing root issues?

A single mom with two children explained to me why she needed a vacation with her girlfriends. “I’m so stressed out about money!” she said. “My credit card is maxed out, and I am a month behind on my rent. I’ve just got to have a break.” My suggestion was that she forget the vacation, put the money she had saved for it to catch up her rent, and start paying down her credit card by taking a sandwich to work rather than eating lunch at restaurants.

Her problem wasn’t stress. It was debt – needless, inexcusable debt that she could take steps to eliminate. She took the advice. She tells me I was a real friend to her by insisting she treat the root problem rather than the symptom.

It’s not that different with trouble in a marriage or a dry spiritual life. “We’re not happy and don’t laugh like we used to. Maybe we should take a trip together – a second honeymoon, so to speak, and reconnect.” No. Find a competent counselor both of you trust, get honest about the things that have broken down, and do your part to try to rebuild the relationship. Get to the root of things.

It’s a bit like the fellow who kept telling me he couldn’t pray, didn’t like to read the Bible, and hated going to church. I knew enough of what was going on to ask the right questions. So he finally started coming clean about the affair and the drugs. It was the beginning of the healing of his spiritual life. He quit talking about trouble praying and not liking church and faced up to an out-of-control life.

Symptoms are helpful things. They let us know something isn’t working right and invite us to seek the root cause. Then, with the real issues named and addressed, it’s amazing how quickly the symptoms begin to resolve.

Real Change Takes Time

       Did you hear the one about the country bumpkin who took his family to the big city for the first time? Lost in a strange place, he stopped in front of a multi-story hotel building. Father and son went inside to get some directions.

            Standing in the lobby, they were looking around for someone to ask. They spied a kind-looking old man with a cane and started toward him. They drew back, though, when the wall opened up for him! They watched in amazement as the wall closed, numbers above the opening grew larger then smaller, and the doors opened again. Out came a young man in confident stride and business suit. “Son, wait right here,” said the farmer. “I’m going to get in that thing!”

            All of us could wish change came so quickly and so painlessly. I’d rather lose 20 pounds with a pill than deny myself extra helpings or desserts and begin to exercise. Some people prefer to saddle themselves with debt to buy a house full of furniture rather than buy furniture as they can afford it or to buy a new car they could easily do without. And so the stories go. We want what we want – now.

            I even think I see a lot of anger in today’s world that is tied to the same thing. Petty people get mad at the good fortune of others. They want immediately what someone else attained over time. Immature people want the recognition and life status other people earned over years, but they want it on a silver platter – today.

            We laugh at the bumpkin who thought an elevator was a magic box that made old into young, stooped into sprightly, and plain into stylish. Maybe we should be laughing at ourselves. Going to college doesn’t make one wise. Driving an expensive car doesn’t confer refinement or personality. Living in an exclusive part of town says nothing about the happiness of the people who live in its newest and nicest house. And going to church doesn’t confer spirituality.

            Authentic change in looks, lifestyle, and personality takes place over time. If there is an outcome you’d like, the surest way to achieve it is not to waste your money on dangerous pills or to squander it on lottery tickets. Set a worthy goal, identify the incremental steps necessary to get there, and begin your journey. Know in advance that the wisdom, discipline, and understanding that come from the journey are equally as valuable as anything at its end.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for,” said Jesus. “Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9 NLT).