All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one Matthew 5:37
Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,
teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve? Proverbs 22: 20-21
Sometimes people get confused about the difference between character and reputation. I am thinking that politicians are particularly susceptible to this, in that they spend a great deal of time crafting their reputation and electability. Reputation is the external part that they want/need to convey and protect.
Character is the internal part of us- our values and virtues that we must cultivate as human beings in order to live successfully and peaceably in this world and with ourselves. Many people spend a great deal of time cultivating and protecting a reputation that may or may not reflect their internal character.
Reputations may fluctuate over time. Sometimes reputations may take a hit when a decision of character needs to be made. None of us is perfect in this realm. Most people care about their reputation- and they should- because it is important to our standing in society.
However, we all need to spend more time in character development than in reputation management. When these forces conflict, when we need to decide whether to do the right thing or the popular thing, character is often vividly revealed.
The current political landscape has left many people deeply skeptical of our elected officials. We have seen positions taken on issues that are simply pandering to a certain political base. We do not truly know what many of those elected really believe and what they are willing to defend. We (they) just know what gets them elected. We are all flawed, but elected office, sadly, seems to bring out the worst in people. Again, this is not all politicians, but the landscape and the position make it an especially dangerous occupational hazard.
Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. What truth there is in that simple statement.
Prayer: Lord, your Spirit is the shaper and protector of character. Help us to yield to that prompting, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 