Call It What It Is

Joshua 5:9-12

I really Like how today's scripture begins. God has rolled away the disgrace of Egypt, and so God names the place the Israelites are camped Gilgal, which means to roll away. How much simpler and straight forward can it get. If only everything in our life were such.

Alas it's not.

But it doesn't have to stay that way. We live in a culture of "spin", where how we are perceived is more important than what we mean. Imagine if we began taking a look at what our elected officials actually do, instead of what they say they are doing. If we did so I'm positive we would understand things differently.

It's not just our elected officials who have mastered the art of spin. In fact, I think we learn how to make our point-of-view look appealing as young as the age of 10. Don't think so? Watch a 10-year old try to get something she/he wants by telling their parents how good it will be for them.

The truth is, well, what is the truth. We really won't know until we begin to call things what they are, not what we want it to be. Yes, the job of those who want something is to tell us everything that is good about it, and those who don't want it will tell you everything that's not good about it. Maybe the truth lies in the answer to this one question, "Does it help or hurt our relationships?"

Will the decision hurt those who need our help the most; the poor, the widow, the orphan, the outcasts in society? God's intention for us is to be a united people, each of us using the gifts we have to make the lives of those around us a better one. So, does the decision being made do that?

Call it what it is, then figure out how to make it better.