Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“When Being Right Hurts”
“You can find me on Righteous Road—that's where I walk—at the intersection of Justice Avenue…” – Proverbs 8:20 (MSG)

Timing is everything! For most of the year if I had read this verse I would come up with a number of different type of messages—but given the fact we just recognized the anniversary of “Veteran’s Day” a couple of weeks ago, it gives this verse a bit of a different tint, and one that needs to be explored.
The word “Righteous” simply means; “To do what is morally right or justifiable.” Although the word was intended to refer to spiritual issues is there a context where it could extend out into a variety of other areas? I think so, and this “Righteous Road” can be at times a very bumpy one! I have known some who have lost jobs because they refused to something that to them was morally wrong. Relationships have been broken for this reason—and many, many men and women alike have given their lives fighting for a righteous and just cause. Wait a minute!! This is where things get a bit touchy for many. Am I implying that war, or conflict is righteous and/or justifiable? If the purpose is to right a moral wrong, then yes, the cause is just and right! And unfortunately painful!
Colonel Clayton E. Wheat was head Chaplain at the United States Military Academy between 1918 and 1926. One of the things for which he is remembered was his writing of the West Point Cadet’s Prayer. It is a classic piece of literature. I am particularly impressed with these words from the heart of the prayer:

“Encourage us in our endeavor to live above the common level of life. Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong,
and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be won.”

You can see from his prayer that the Righteous Road is not always the easiest route…especially when few are traveling on it and the road is line with stops filled with half-truths. Society has grown content to accept half truths as whole truths. We see this everywhere—advertising, testimonies given under oath, marriage vows, and promises made. When faced with choices, expediency often wins out over integrity. Our powers of rationalization allow us to makes choices based on their being practical rather than reasonable. When we do this, we choose the easier wrong over the harder right. In conversations with his disciples Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31, 32). There is something empowering about truth. Truth says “No!” to the temptation to marginalize reality. Truth says “Yes!” to openness and honesty.
Omar Nelson Bradley served in the United States Army between 1915 and 1953. He achieved the rank of General of the Army and served as both the Army Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served in three major wars—World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Entering the United States Military Academy in 1911, he was a cadet there prior to the writing of the Cadet’s Prayer. But he embodied it during his outstanding career. Known as “The G.I.’s General,” he was beloved by those who served with him and for him. In an essay he wrote during his years as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, entitled “On Wishful Thinking,” Bradley wrote:
“We must accept reality and react promptly to all the facts—not only to those we want to hear. And we must fight constantly for the whole truth. For peace can come only from truth, knowledge and honest understanding. Half the truth will produce only half a peace—and half a peace is no longer enough.”

If America is to remain the most powerful nation in the free world, we must embrace again the truths that made our nation free. We must demand that our elected leaders—local, state, and national—speak the “unarmed truth.” We must resist those that would reduce our commitment to our spiritual heritage. This will require more than maintaining the words, “In God We Trust,” on our coinage.
We face the reality that some of our Constitutional Rights may be “temporarily defeated.” Evil may appear to be triumphant. But victory is not completely out of sight. It may be distant, but it is still there. How can we be victorious? It begins with our commitment “to live above the common level of life.” It will continue as we “choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.” And victory will be ours as long as we are never “content with a half truth when the whole can be won.”
Staying on the road of righteousness is not easy—but as the word itself says it is the “right” one!
Pastor J. T. Carnell