Sometimes I find it really hard to tell the truth. I am looking at or evaluating an item, it could be clothes in the window of a store, a draft presentation, or a car that is very new for a friend, and the question sits waiting for me to respond. Do you like this? What do you really think? Do you have an opinion?
Do I? I could easily explore if I wasn’t able to express my views in graphic detail, exposing the weaknesses, bad taste, and confusing lines. I can feel my body responding. Blood pressure moves up a notch, the skin around my eyes tightens, and I naturally move into an athletic stance. I want to attack! I want to express just how sad, potentially inappropriate, and wretched I think the situation is but nothing like that comes out. On a color chart the item is clearly, absolutely, and totally black; there is no color. Yet I mumble words of congratulations, assurance, and respect.
I am not about to suggest that each person’s opinion is king and that we should propagate this view from the mountain top. When the item is a matter of casual choice and personal preference the kind words can easily express mercy, friendship, and compassion. Why is my preference for certain colors or styles any better than another view?
I am openly questioning my reaction to situations where the ethics and morality are clear and black. The fact is that “a leech has twin daughters named ‘Gimme’ and ‘Gimme more.’” (Proverbs 30.15) Abuse is just what abuse is, there are no kind words. Exploitation can be stopped, the cycles can be broken. Masking the truth doesn’t change the pain, hurt, and self orientation.
When I look around me there are a myriad of colors and shapes. Life continues to take on a pattern that I only know as chaos. I pray you, others, and I will accept God’s gift of sight and courage to see life as it is and God gift for what it will do for life.
