“The truth hurts.” I heard the
adage from parents, grandparents, preachers, teachers and friends, but it didn’t
relieve the pain I felt when hearing truth.
Since the truth hurts and we don’t usually like pain,
we design ways or phrases to camouflage it. Short is vertically challenged.
Pedophiles are sexually challenged. Merry Christmas becomes Happy Holidays.
Maids are house helpers, prostitutes are sex care providers, bald people are
comb free, old people are gerontologically advanced, and ugly people are
cosmetically different.
We call such terms “politically correct,” and some are
needed to replace cruel phrases of the past. Others, however, are designed to
make me feel better about myself when I shouldn’t and can stymie my initiative
disguising truth I need to hear.
Habakkuk asked some questions of God: how long evil
would prevail and why his people would be punished. Then he climbed into his
watchtower to wait on God’s answer. The LORD answered me:"Write
down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it."
(Habakkuk 2:2 HCSB).
God didn’t want his truth camouflaged and he still
doesn’t. Efforts to conceal truth or speak it in inoffensive ways only harms
those who need to hear it most.
If I’m lazy, I don’t need to think I’m motivationally
dispossessed, I need to hear “Get a job.” If I’m a law breaker, I’m not
ethically challenged, I’m a crook. If I get drunk every day, I’m not spacially
perplexed, I’m an alcoholic and need help.
If my actions are offending God, I need to hear
unvarnished not camouflaged truth. Sin is more than a mistake, genetic fault or
error-though it’s all that and more. It’s an offense against a holy God, and
unless I hear the truth I may think mine are not very offensive and choose to
keep living the same way when what I need is to change directions.
God’s truth may offend but it does because he loves
and wants to remove what disconnects us from him. Let God’s truth move you to
action.
Prayer: God, shine Your truth into our lives whether
it hurts or not.
Martin Wiles
mandmwiles@homesc.com
Harleyville, South Carolina, USA
www.morningliteministry.com
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