More Truthfulness

Angela and I saw a funny little movie a few months ago called “The Invention of Lying,” which depicted a modern world where people were only capable of telling the truth. It was quite imaginative, and it got me thinking of some truth-telling I’d love to hear in 2010.

· “Your call is not very important to us, otherwise we wouldn’t keep you waiting for twenty minutes.
-- the recording you hear while on hold with XYZ Company

· “It is about the money. I want to be paid as much as I can get because I don’t know how long I will be able to play in this league.”
-- professional team athlete

· “I have the time. We all have 168 hours per week. But you haven’t convinced me this is important enough to make the time.”
-- church member responding to a request to volunteer, instead of saying “I don’t have the time”

· “This has only happened to me once but I think it is indicative of a larger point which I want to share with you.”
-- preachers who tend to say “I can’t tell you how many times such-and-such has happened to me” in order to dramatize our next point

· “We do have the money, but we’re not willing to change our priorities to spend it on the thing you are suggesting.”
-- church leaders, parents, or anyone who says “I/we don’t have the money” as a reflexive response

· “You look wonderful.”
-- husband responding to wife’s question, “How do I look in this new outfit?” (There is no other response. Period)

· “I’m really struggling.”
-- anyone who is struggling and is asked “How are you?” and feels they ought to say “Fine”

· “I don’t want to put in the hard work to do it.”
-- instead of saying “I can’t do it.” (It is amazing what we can do when we put our mind and heart to it)

· “I had an early deadline and I was drawing a blank on something deeply spiritual or timely or noteworthy to write about so I decided to express myself on this peculiar little topic which, I believe, does in fact have a spiritual dimension.”
-- preacher who writes a weekly essay

May we speak and live as truthfully as possible in 2010!