I looked at Facebook this morning, and read a post by one of my cousins observing that – as he scanned the posts that came across his page – there were two themes that emerged:  1) The Democrats are responsible for the shut-down of the government! and 2) The Republicans are responsible for the shutdown of the government.!  His question then was, “How can these both be true?”

My cynical reaction was, ‘Since when do we value the truth?”  The reality is that there is something innate in us that DOES value truth; we just happen to live in a political climate that doesn’t seem to.  There is a kernel of truth in both statements, but neither is the “Whole Truth!”

The 9^th Commandment in the Old Testament is “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).  It turns out that the Ten Commandments are not arbitrary laws, but principles of community.  If we are live together peacefully, we cannot be saying things about each other that are not absolutely true.  That is a “law of life,” no matter what your culture or religious affiliation … this is a truth for any community.

Every time someone is called to testify in a court of law, they put their hand on the Bible and swear to “Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!”  What would life be like if we lived that way?

One of my favorite books is “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz.  He expounds four simple principles that – when we incorporate them into our lives – allow us to feel peace and joy.  The 1^st of these “Agreements” is “Be Impeccable with Your Word.”  The invitation to us is to be conscious that everything that we say be absolutely true … that we don’t say anything that we know is false … no “little, white lies.”  The invitation is for us to not put any “spin” on what we say in a way that will shade the truth in our favor… no half-truths.  The invitation is to not make promises unless we are committed to following through.  The invitation is to pay attention to the words that come out of  our mouth… to use our words to spread light and love.

We are living in a climate where the spreading of “mis-information” has become an acceptable tool, used to advance a political agenda.   I think we as human beings – on a deeper level –  want to know what is true … True, with a capital “T.”

Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in our feelings and our “agenda;” we say things that are only partly true, and each time we do this, we – knowingly or not – undermine our own inner sense of self-respect.    Sometimes we hear something that reinforces what we already think, so we accept it as true without doing any “fact checking.”  It is an easier way to live, but each time we do, we diminish our own integrity.

So, my invitation to you today is two-fold:

1) Anytime you read or hear something spoken as truth, ask yourself, “IS this absolutely true?” and “How do I know this is true?”  (By the way, “I read it on Facebook.” isn’t an acceptable answer!)  Be skeptical … look for absolute truth, not convenient truth.

2)  Be mindful of every word that comes out of your mouth … will what you say pass the test for absolute truth?  Do your words shed light and share love … or so you have another agenda?

Live from your Inner Magnificence … be impeccable with your word.  To the extent you do, you’ll be able to say, “I feel good about being me!” …. That’s a promise!