Let your yes be yes...

Meaning what you say, and saying what you mean.  Really, it's that simple.  And that complicated.  All in one.

Or maybe it isn't.

See, if you're like me at all, you've lived accustomed to creating "justifications" for actions that are just plain wrong.

Case in point:

My husband is very good at calling me out on certain things I've said.  Just the other night in fact, I said a stupid, come back comment, reacting to something he said [aka, me reacting to not getting my way].  And he called me on it, after a moment of silence.

He asked, "Was that meant to encourage me, or was that meant as the opposite?"

I thought for a moment.  Relived the words I had just spoken, the scenario surrounding the words just spoken, and...{having to be honest here, because I was only given two choices, a "yes" and a "no"}, I concluded that what I had just spoken out-loud was not encouraging.  Which then led my brain to deduce that it must equal discouraging, given the specific question I was posed.

"The opposite."

Silence.  or to be more accurate. Acute, deafening silence.

Now, let me interject here for just a moment.

You see, in my defense, if he had given me more options, why then, of course, I would have chosen something other than what I had, but alas, I was only given two choices, a black and white option if you will.  And I most certainly am not black and white.   

Which is why it makes sense that I answered the way I did,  and why my answer would have changed had I not been so constricted in my options to choose from...Or does it?

And that is precisely my point.

You see, I forgot that the Bible calls me to "let my yes be yes and my no, no" (See Matthew 5:37).  I all too often get caught up in the excuse of why I behaved a certain way, said a certain thing, rather than just owned up to my sin.

That's right, I called it my sin.  Sin in that I am not being completely honest - my "yes" isn't my "yes," nor is my "no" my "no."

It's easy to think (trust me, I do it often) that I just can't help it, because that's just who am I, who God made me to be, and therefore, there's no other alternative...

{and perhaps in thinking that, one could argue that I'm actually blaming God for the way I am, rather than owning up to my own sinfulness}

But that is also foolishness, and getting defensive about the situation.  I've learned that when I get defensive, it's really me getting prideful.

The bible might not talk a ton about getting defensive per-say, but it sure has a lot to say about pride.  (See Obadiah 1:3, 2 Chronicles 26:16, Psalm 10:4, 59:12, Proverbs 11:2, 13:10, 16:5,18-19, 18:12,29:23, Ecclesiastes 7:8, Isaiah 2:11-12, 13:11, 13:19, 1 Corinthians 13:4 just to name a few)

What about you?  Do you find yourself sliding into excuse mode more often than not, rather than just confessing your sin?  Are you great at creating justifications for unexcusable behavior?  Do you let your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no?"