Hypocrisy kills.
Have you really considered that before? I think, perhaps,
this is due to the deceitful nature of hypocrisy. It proudly proclaims that the
desired outcome has occurred. Whether effectual in deceit or not, the mask of
hypocrisy shields the hypocrite from handling reality.
It’s kind of like planting an artificial flower over the top
of a real seeds. Everyone sees the flower and thinks it’s real. Then it starts
to fade in the sun and they realize it’s fake. But in the meantime they haven’t
been caring for the seeds in the soil. The fake flower required so little care…
it hardly seemed to matter whether you watered it or not. But without the life-giving
water, the real flower seeds shrivel and die.
Hypocrisy kills. It kills relationships when it claims
perfection and then acts out of imperfection. It kills personal growth because
the work of maintaining and improving oneself seems superfluous when one can
skate by on appearances. It kills honesty, integrity, and a true sense of self.
Is it any wonder that we detest hypocrisy in others?
But when given the choice, how often do we choose the hard
truth?
This is one reason why I’m going to Clove Island. It’s easy
enough to send Truth out, a book, a pamphlet, a short-termer. But when the Word
became Flesh and lived among us, it meant something more. Dedication, integrity,
a stubborn commitment to real life— He lived an example for us of what ministry
(service) looks like. And the story doesn’t end with us. It continues with us. It’s for the “uttermost
parts of the earth,” right? Of course right.
