Lying has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Listen, I understand that it is human nature to lie. Humans have been telling fibs every since Adam ate that apple. Or was it a peach? That story always cracks me up because you got to be some sort of dumb squat to think you can convince the God of the Universe that you just misremembered eating the one thing he told you not to touch.

No wonder Scriptures is clear that one of the things God hates most is lying: “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,  a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. ” Proverbs 6: 16-19.

You might be surprised to not see some of your favorite “hate the sin & not the sinners” on God’s list. Perhaps you might want to rethink your own list?

If you read that list carefully, however, you will note that lying actually comes up twice: “a lying tongue .. a false witness who pours out lies.”

Seems to me that if the God of all Creation mentions lying twice in such a concise list, he must feel pretty strongly about people who lie.

We seem, however, to be willing to excuse the liars while at the same time sending those seeking to live honestly to hell. Ponder that paradox for a moment.

Another politician has fallen into the poop can of misrembering. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald says now that it is not true that he served with the Special Forces. It was a little lie he told a homeless veteran. Let’s give McDonald the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was just trying to “relate” the fellow and thought making stuff up would help.

Sigh.

McDonald himself offers this: “I have no excuse,” the website quoted McDonald as saying in its report. “I was not in special forces.”

Shaking my head.

Beating my chest.

I have friends who served/are serving in SF.  They earned that position through a lot of hard work, discipline and just sheer grit.

Not to mention sacrifices by their families.

This isn’t some little thing that McDonald did. His lying disrepects and threatens to discredit the Special Forces, not to mention the Veterans Affairs who already has all kinds of credibility issues.

My friend Gordon Wofford, who did serve honorably, had this saying about liars that I always enjoyed, especially when he said it in that Tennessee drawl of his: “Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.” 

I wish people would quit their lying ways and go back to thinking up catchy-phrases that make us laugh and remember them fondly.