"Speak Up"

 Look you in the eye he would,

And make his promise plain,

If he said it, there he stood,

No matter loss or gain.

On a handshake deals were done,

It’s just the way it was,

Of course not just with anyone,

But those you knew because,

You could count on what they said,

Within their words their bond,

Men would sooner go down dead,

Than dishonestly respond.

Now the spin is what we hear,

The trust lost in the mix,

Agreements run on threat and fear,

We don’t know how to fix.

To do so we must go, you see,

Back to the Good Book’s rules,

There you’ll find morality,

And not the whim of fools.

Go back to men whose mettle,

Ran through like tested steel,

And when came time to settle,

Their integrity was real.

From the white house halls of power,

To the court and school house, too,

Starting now this very hour,

At every house anew,

To speak what’s true and always do,

All that we have said,

Show the way, the price to pay,

Not spin, but truth instead.

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25, NIV)

A return to truth-speaking is a great need in our culture. Those who love the truth must boldly speak and live the truth, no matter the consequence. And to think there will not be a price to pay is naive. Those who live to spin the story and control the narrative do not welcome those who speak absolute truth without compromise. But that is exactly what we are called to do. Speaking the truth in love is Paul’s formula for all true spiritual growth. it is necessary and non-negotiable. Truth-telling is our legacy and only hope.

Lord, help us to live and speak the truth, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Alfredo Rodriguez, used by permission. Thanks, Alfredo, and God bless you.