2 Corinthians 4:1-2
4:1 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
…but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
Telling the truth ought to be rewarded. As children, we were taught that it’s important to be honest, to tell the truth even when it incriminates us. We’ve all learned how to soften the truth, when it will be difficult for someone to hear, or to tell “little white lies” to save someone from unnecessary pain. Telling the truth ought to be rewarded, but that’s not always the case.
There are times when people of faith are called upon to speak God’s Truth to power, regardless of the cost. When we hear this, our minds turn to the saints who have done this in high-profile ways, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Bishop Romero, and so many others. But there are also thousands upon thousands of people of faith who have done this without notice or fanfare. Every time someone stands up to a bully, tells the truth in the boardroom, stands with a colleague who is being harassed, risks their job to act according to their conscience, they are “refusing to falsify God’s Word”.
I find it interesting that St. Paul say that we “commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God”. I think he chose those words carefully to illustrate that God uses our acts of faithfulness to bring others face to face with their own consciences.
Prayer: Lord God: Telling the truth can be uncomfortable and even scary. Fill me with your peace and a burning desire to speak your Truth at all times and in all situations. AMEN