To Tell The Truth

There was a time when the Ten Commandments were taught, displayed and served as a model to most folks, even nonbelievers.   But times have changed and they have been removed from many locations.  And atheists continue to challenge them in court.  And this movement certainly appears to coincide with the growth and open displays of sin in our society.  One of the commandments that is openly violated is that we should not bear false witness - we should not tell lies. But public and government officials break this one quite regularly. However, too often believers do the same.  We like to call those sorts of lies "white lies".  But whether they are "white" or "black" they are violations of this commandment. Now sin is not funny and needs to be taken seriously.  However, some of the results of "white lies" have interesting consequences.  Here is a story that I recently read about a "white lie".  It may not be true, and while it might be funny, it should also make us think about what we say.

Alice was to bake a cake for the church ladies' group bake sale, but she forgot to do it until the last minute. She baked an angel food cake and when she took it from the oven, the center had dropped flat.  She said, "Oh dear, there's no time to bake another cake."  So, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake. Alice found it in the bathroom ... a roll of toilet paper.  She plunked it in and covered it with icing. The finished product looked beautiful, so she rushed it to the church.

Before she left the house, Alice had given her daughter some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the minute it opened, and to buy that cake and bring it home.When the daughter arrived at the sale, the attractive cake had already been sold.  Alice was beside herself.

The next day, Alice was invited to a friend's home where two tables of bridge were to be played that afternoon.  After the game, a fancy lunch was served, and to top it off, the cake in question was presented for dessert.  Alice saw the cake, she started to get out of her chair to rush into the kitchen to tell her hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, one of the other ladies said, "What a beautiful cake!"

Alice sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, "Thank you, I baked it myself!"