RANDOM RAMBLINGS 11

I have been taking care of my elderly father for the last month or so and in the course of that time we have been watching repeats of several sitcoms from about 10 years ago. Back to back episodes … can’t beat that with a stick. I noticed something very telling … in just about every episode the husband lies to his wife. Some would be considered innocent little lies, others were whoppers. In the end the wife always found out and in the end she always still loved him. It is meant to be funny and many times it is. The situations that the husband gets himself in is laughable to be sure, but it is a poor reflection of what real life should truly be.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m never lied. I am ashamed to say that I have lied about some pretty important things when it comes to spousal relationships. I am not proud of that, not even one little bit. There are consequences tied to everything we say and do. While these are depicted on the sitcoms, in real life, it doesn’t end up so pretty. Scripture clearly tells us that lying is wrong. At times the consequences were devastating. 

So what must we do? Tell the truth. Tell the truth always. Avoid temptations. Personal integrity is paramount in life. It’s bad enough in business … If people don’t trust you you’re sunk. But in your personal life, if you wife or husband doesn’t feel that they can trust you, you have lost something most precious.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (TNIV) “’I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but I will not be mastered by anything.”

1 Corinthians 10:23 (TNIV) “’I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.”

Our freedom to do as we please is well documented. The results of our words and actions are also well documented. We all need guidelines regarding what to think, say and do. God offers a succinct guide throughout scripture of how to carry ourselves in life. We can either strive to live it or do things under our own steam. We botch things up because we don’t have a model to life by. Even if we do, it is born out of limited resources. God’s plan is based on His infinite wisdom and power. Our plans are finite at best and never allow us to reach our full potential.

Another thing about the two shows that we watch; the husbands are portrayed as dumb clods; doofuses, incompetent at best.  The wives usually are portrayed as being the sensible ones; the ones who use intelligence instead of brutish Neanderthalism.  It portrays a union that few women would desire and quietly undermines the marital structure. It’s all tied to what we feed our brains. Garbage in, garbage out.

In the end, it comes down to what we believe; where does our faith and trust lie? Is it in ourselves and our limited abilities or in an infinite, all knowing, all powerful unseen deity Who has chosen to create us and unconditionally love His creation, in spite of ourselves? You decide. As the New Year rapidly approaches, decide to tell the truth always and protect your personal integrity. It is something you can ill afford to lose.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!