Being right vs being truthful

I’ve been reading a biography on 18^th century politician Henry Clay and he is credited with the quote of "I would rather be right than president." So let me ask a burning question. What is that one thing that you want, desire, or maybe even need, and you are willing to do anything to get it? Are you willing to work hard and honestly for it, or are you willing to cut corners, stretching or concealing the truth, (because all out lying is just plain wrong) or selling out anybody and everybody you can to get what you want or so you can be right? So here are some observations about being right and being truthful.

Being right and being truthful do have some similarities, but I think there are some differences. The first observation about being right is that it follows a strict guideline. The thing about being right, is that it can focus on something that is an objective standard, like how the sun rises in the east. But being right also can be very subjective, and it comes down to personal preference like who is the better football team, the Vikings or Packers. When we focus on the more subjective issues, we tend to argue to we are blue in our face with someone and we will get nowhere fast.

A second observation is that being right is based on our standards that we create. It is really hard to be wrong in our own eyes, especially when we define what is right and wrong. When we get to define what is right and wrong, we tend make what we like into the things that are right, and things that we struggle with or dislike we tend to make wrong. It tends to be very subjective and self glorifying, but in this self glorification, we tend to become weighed down and legalistic. It is doing something because we have to and not because we want to.

A third observation about being right is that we tend to go on personal crusades. We are seeking people to join us and to tear down anybody who opposes us. This thought process tends to over glorify people and making them out better than what they are because they agree with us. We also tend to vilify people who don’t agree with us or are not on our team. A prime example of this is this years presidential election.

Here are some observations about being truthful versus being right.  When we are more concerned about being truthful, we are more concerned with making sure things are being done honestly and done the right way the first time.  This  idea, people are held accountable for their actions and we all check our egos at the door.  It is learning and practicing a little bit of humility in our interactions with ourselves, others and God.  It is seeing a situation for what it is and working with our biases so that that we do not blow anything out of proportion?

The second observation about being truthful that it is based on objective statements or standards. Truth can stand on its own, and there is no wiggle room around it. Truth is based on something that is concrete and never changing to meet our needs and the times. All truth is found in and through God and He is the standard. When we are truthful, we are aiming to live a Godly life and to have His ways be our ways. It is a realization that all is good and holy comes from God.

The third observation about being truthful is that according to the Gospel of John, when we know the truth, it shall set us free. To put it plainly, when we tell the truth, we don’t have to remember what we say, because our story will always be the same. The other freeing part about truth is that it looks at things fort they way they are and what they could be. Truth takes a look at things honestly and shares it without sugar coating it and there is always a sense of tack. In all reality, it doesnt make a mole hill into a mountain and it doesn’t turn a mountain into a mole hill. The most freeing part of being truthful is that it is done out of love and care not only for other people, but ourselves. When we are truthful, it brings about honesty and in all reality, what is more freeing than honesty and Jesus?

The last observation for now about truth is the idea that it does not seek to gain or manipulate. When we tell people things that we think they want to hear, or expect that from others, we are really lying and manipulating others and ourselves to either get what we want or to make ourselves look better. Truth is about being honest, no matter what the consequences are.