“Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:16

Going to my mailbox, I saw the envelopes from the power company. I know what they are because electric bills are like good clock work. ALWAYS on time! Having more than 1 property, I didn’t notice there were more envelopes than usual. Since paying bills is NOT my top priority, I threw them on the pile thinking, “I’ll get to these later.” Three days later coincided with the EXACT date I opened the letters AND read the ‘disconnect notice!’ O.K…. You’re laughing! YOU’VE been there too?

APPARENTLY when I did online “Bill Pay” last month, I neglected to hit the “SEND” button. In my mind I HAD paid my bills. Reality resulted in the power company labeling me a LOSER! I had to dial the company 3 times before I could reach a human being. After I explained the… ‘yuck yuck’… mix up, the phone human verified my “loser status!” In a nice way, of course. “I’m sorry sir, there is nothing we can do” which implied ‘… until you bring us cash… RIGHT NOW!’ The lady was NOT my friend! She hears the same story every day!

Being a teacher, pastor, manager or even a parent requires telling and teaching truth. KNOWING the truth is supposed to set us free. We can trust it, bank on it and ultimately use it to better our lives. But HEARING the Truth comes without an emotional filter. When I get bad news, I get angry, upset or sad. It takes a process to get through it all before I can accept it as reality. Knowing Jesus, who IS Truth, shortens the process for me!

I go to a church that has seating room, and you don’t even have to come early to get one. Over the years the Pastor had gotten into some real hot water with folks who decided to jump FROM Truth rather than stick TO it. It has been a challenge all my life. My Dad was a Truth teller and he had a way of making enemies too. I guess it runs in the family!

One of the biggest temptations of someone responsible for ‘Telling the Truth,’ is to keep the mouth shut! Just don’t SAY anything and ‘Telling’ won’t become a problem. I tried that approach with myself and found it NEVER works. I learned that believing lies drags the problem out even longer. So truth telling, based upon God’s Word, is a must.

My power never did get disconnected. I managed to remain calm, “SURPRISE,” and asked for a manger, who then took the time to look at my history. We worked out a plan and I am happy to say I am no longer considered a LOSER! But… THAT depends upon who you ask!

So what kind of teller… or HEARER… are YOU?