Have you ever known someone who is good at "bending the truth"? You know, little things that seem really small and insignificant until they start to pile up and become big?
I realize that we all exaggerate to some degree. Yes, I do believe that exaggeration is just another form of lying and Yes, I do it quite a bit myself... about 1,000 times a day (exaggeration of course).
We exaggerate little things such as: "The line at Starbucks had a gazillion people in it today!", "That person is dumber than a box of rocks", "He's just one french fry short of a happy meal", "I will not raise taxes", or "I read my Bible ALL the time". Those are just simple examples, but sometimes we say things that we actually start to believe. We tell people little exaggerations that end up becoming our "truth" that we live by. And when we bend that truth, we don't realize that God isn't in it. Actually, He is no where near it. His truth is far from us when we try to bend the truth.
I have a friend that always seems to have a "reason" or "excuse" for things that are wrong. It amazes me how this friend can talk their way out of anything. It is one of those conversations where I walk away wondering what just happened. I know the "truth", but what they just said was far from the truth - yet they were SO convincing! Amazing. This friend is a "pro" at bending the truth - so much so that they don't even realize what they do. They could talk their way out of anything. They are the type of person you would want with you if you get pulled over by the cops for speeding just because you know they have to have a good way to bend the truth as to why you were driving 500 miles over the speed limit.... (there I go exaggerating again....)
Steve and I watched a show the other night about a guy who deceived people into believing that he was an FBI agent. He got a job in a small town, working at the local police station. He arrested drug dealers, got search warrants to investigate, etc., etc. When he was finally caught, he was mad that he was going to prison because he said even though he lied he helped to put criminals behind bars. He couldn't realize that his actions of "bending the truth" had actually hurt other people. He started to believe things that were never true.
Satan is like this. He is so convincing that we start to believe his subtle lies. I am sure that is what happened with Adam and Eve. It was so subtle and believable that they believed him! I do the same thing. What Satan whispers in my ear sounds so much like the truth, but is really far from it. I can get so impatient that I don't take time to discern the truth. Sometimes I think I so easily believe what Satan says because he is a "bender of truth" just like I can be. Sad really. God has called us to so much more, yet we settle for the exaggerations.
Watch what you say this week. Don't "bend the truth" to sound better. Don't "exaggerate" the truth to look better. You just may start to believe your own lies.
Wow. Good stuff.
Posted by: Catrina Fritzinger | May 26, 2009 at 01:45 PM