It’s a hokey children’s VBS song. But there’s a skosh of truth to it. Just enough that I’m quoting it here. I don’t think I’d want my children to sing it, mind you … but it will do to make a point.

I’m home from my quilting retreat. It was a good time. I was in the “Annex” room. Off the main room. We had more fun than the ladies in the main room. They kept coming in to ask what we were laughing about. I think it’s because our average age was about 15 years younger than the average age in the main room. Or something.

BlazingEwe was there. So was InteriorDecorator … in fact, she was one of the organizers. Yesterday I hurt my back sitting on a hard stool. But today I took my comfy chair and it was much better.

An old friend has rejoined the guild. I’ve known her since before LightBoy was born. I met her just after her son died of cystic fibrosis. She was one of my first quilting teachers. She was a member of my first CLB and I lost track of her when we left it in 2003 because she had sort of drifted away from the guild and quilting as well at the time. About 18 months ago she left that CLB under fire as well. I heard about it through the grapevine and reached out to her at the time. But it wasn’t the right time. Which was cool.

Yesterday she thanked me for that reach. And we talked. And cried. And grieved. We’ve both lost a lot in our different journeys. The one thing that we both lost is was an openness with everyone. We don’t know who to trust anymore, so we trust no one.

We criticize so quickly and easily these days. We make assumptions about peoples motives and hearts with the flip of a hair do. Here’s the thing. Those assumptions, accusations, critique and finally, judgement bear weight. Words do hurt and they bear harm for a long time.  When we make those assumptions, accusations, critiques and judgements to other people … when we bear witness about people to others it does damage.  Merely asserting the truth of our statements does not undo the damage that we may have done by bearing false witness.  Those that think they are correct in their false assumptions about a person’s motives.

I wonder why it is so important that people be correct vs. being loving?

When I was googling around to find the whole verse for the silly song above, I found this scripture from Proverbs 6:

16-19 Here are six things God hates,
and one more that he loathes with a passion:
eyes that are arrogant,
a tongue that lies,
hands that murder the innocent,
a heart that hatches evil plots,
feet that race down a wicked track,
a mouth that lies under oath,
a troublemaker in the family.

I took it from The Message.  In the NIV, the language is stronger.  Notice, though, lying (or bearing false witness) is mentioned twice, along with a heart that hatches evil plots.  Meditate on that for awhile … sometimes when we’re so focussed on being “right,” about someone … we become diametrically opposed to the will of God