Always Speak The Truth, Even When The Truth Is Not Welcome

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<The Lord said to Joshua,>”Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”’ (Joshua 1:9)

Back in the day, when I was a government contractor, as an operational manager at a major combatant command during the Global War on Terror in the 2000’s, there were many meetings on how we needed to respond to operational needs of the IT network and infrastructure. The meetings held were to have the government bubbas (and bubbettes) provide their requirements and needs; as the subject matter experts we would provide the possible solutions with the feasibility and costs these solutions would bear.

There were many things brought up in each meeting where I was either asked or was led to bring up a talking point of our proposed solution, and of course there’s always the danger that it’s not entirely copacetic with what others want to hear.

Some ‘requirements’ were pie-in-the-sky requests; another way of putting it is having caviar desires on a spam budget, or wanting Formula 1 performance from a Geo Metro. We often had to work to provide the evidence that the performance or capability desired would be too excessive a cost to make it work (even the US military, on occasion, has limits on its spending).

Other times they wanted us to to do something that we knew would not be beneficial but instead detrimental to the overall mission requirements; if something desired had excessive bandwidth or data storage requirements, it could interfere with or shutdown other critical operational requirements. The analogies used in these scenarios involved ‘cooking steaks’.

We would let them know that doing ‘X’ would ‘burn their steaks’. If they wanted their steaks well done, we could do ‘Y’. An optimum ‘medium well’ steak would involve plan ‘Z’. Telling a customer that their way will ‘burn the steaks’ (operational failure in IT), even in a tactful & professional tone, often will not endear you to them. But the truth had to be told, and the reality that their idea ‘as is’ would not work, or not work well, had to be presented.

For me, stating the point of truth is not an issue.  Saying an objective, factual, but ‘politically incorrect’ point of truth to someone who doesn’t like that answer, on the other hand, occasionally (actually, often) is an issue.  There is a fear that we will say the right thing but at the wrong time to the wrong person – especially if that person will take the Truth as a personal affront and have you removed from the command (which I saw happen to others, who were perhaps not as tactful in their truthful dissent). 

Nevertheless, it is always important to have the courage not be a ‘yes-man’ (or ‘yes-woman’) but to tell the truth, even if you know someone will not appreciate it at that point of time.  The same is true in our church and our family members as it is with commercial customers.  I usually say what I believe I need to say; now it is the responsibility of the one receiving the message to determine whether to heed or ignore what I have brought forward.  

This is not to say I was or am 100% right; it is good for dialogue and discussion to gain consensus, and in many things compromise is good.  But there are certain truths that you cannot compromise; the Gospel is one of them! 

In some of the meetings I was in, I thought of an older gentleman and his beautiful testimony he gave one evening of the vision he was given by our Lord.  He mentioned afterward to our Life Group that he had some trepidation because talking of such a vision is often viewed by some as being a ‘crackpot’. 

It took the gentleman some time to overcome his fear of what he thought he would be viewed as, and gave his testimony of the events that took place.  I know for me and from the group’s reaction it was not only taken as truthful, but also inspirational and uplifting.  What a beautiful gift he shared with us! 

In life, I have found it better not to walk in fear; especially when the Truth needs to be spoken.  It is true that not everyone welcomes Truth.  God promises, in Joshua 1:9, that we should not walk in fear as He is with us, no matter who we are dealing with, or where we are.  God is with us always!  There are times we will feel fearful, as that gentleman who shared his vision did, but we must pray for God’s strength to give us the fortitude we need to move forward and speak the Truth, as he did – and thankfully God allowed him to overcome his fear with God’s Strength.

There is a ‘wrath of man’ coming as well as the ‘Wrath of God’.  A time here in the United States where our Faith and speaking of it may put us on a list, or in a camp, or onto a boxcar; like it is for many Christians in China, North Korea, the Middle East, and other places today. 

We all need to remember the Truth may not be what those who persecute us want to hear, but it is certainly what God wants us to say and stand up for.  We must not allow our fear to overcome or overwhelm us but instead allow God to bolster us in His Strength and speak the Truth.  Whatever the outcome, the cost here on Earth is outweighed by the rewards we gain from God in Heaven!