Who's Telling the Truth?

Should you always take someone’s answer at face value?  Are you willing to listen to the other side of the story?  Are you even open to the idea of there being another perspective?  You may want to look at Proverbs 18:17.

We all tend to be quick to rush to judgment when someone tells us something that makes another person look bad.  We rarely take the time to call the other person to get their “story.” We would never think of giving them a fair shot.  After all, surely my “friend” would never bend the truth to make themselves look better, right?

Many marriages end in divorce because of bad communication.  Many friendships go by the wayside because people just aren’t willing to “talk.”  A lot of people no longer attend church because someone lied about them and they were never given the opportunity to give their side.  And other church folks just ignored them or treated them as outcasts. Sad. Sad. Sad. That’s NOT how the body of Christ is supposed to function!  We should be known as a forgiving people, a people that always gives the other person the benefit of the doubt.

Here’s the challenge: The next time someone gives you some juicy gossip about someone else, have the guts, the godliness, the Christ-likeness to search for the truth.  Yes, it takes time and effort. No, the other person may not have the best track record. But be fair! Be a truth seeker! Refuse to play favorites. Both parties deserve that kind of respect.

WHO’S TELLING THE TRUTH?  We don’t really know, and some things have to be left in the hands of God.  But at least consider the words of Solomon in Proverbs 18:17 from The Living Bible . . . “ Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.”