The World Of Miss

In the world of political shell games, Hillary decides that her inaccurate accounting of former events is best understood as simply a misspeaking. While paving the way for slight of speech manipulation, Baseball’s Roger Clemens is just positive that Andy Petit misremembered former events. And I categorically affirm that all this misbehaving mystifies me! That is, to say, I am confounded by public figures willing to look foolish just to maintain previous statements or actions. The media reveals that they have their hand in the proverbial cookie jar and they maintain they simply were making an inventory of the current cookie stock! In the process they use the “miss” defense: I misspoke, He misremembered, this a matter of mistaken identity and misrepresentation. Who are all these Misses? What ever happened to it’s easier to tell the truth than a lie?

Jesus told those Jews who had believed on him that if they held on to his teachings they would be disciples and the benefit of discipleship was to know the truth that sets one free (John 8:31,32). I believe that a significant part of that freedom is truth’s ability to let us humbly accept the truth of any moment. That is, truth allows us to see things as they are not as we want them to be or as we believe others expect them to be. Thus, we are able from that moment to either correct what is lacking or build on what has been strengthened. Truth benefits us all. Since part of the truth is that we all fall short of the glory of God then our common quest for truth allows us to own our common weaknesses and failures. Every one of us will miss… but we can stay on target by recognizing the truth of our failures.

So here is my proposal: If we misspeak? –Take the opportunity to correct or apologize and to speak the truth in love; if we misbehave? –take the opportunity to correct or apologize and offer a cup of cold water in His name. Whatever you do… don’t cover up, explain away or parse words! Let your conversation be always full of grace…(Colossians 4:6). -DAN