Our Last Inch--March 18, 2022

Our Last Inch--March 18, 2022

"Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your 'Yes' be yes and your 'No' be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation." [James 5:12]

There's a line from the graphic-novel-turned-movie, V for Vendetta, that stays with me. One character, who had been rounded up and imprisoned by a fictional authoritarian government, says, "Our integrity sells for so little, but it's all we really have.  It is the very last inch of us, but within that inch we are free."  I think that character and James would get along rather well.

It may be strange, in a culture like ours, to spend time talking about how important integrity is, especially integrity and reliability in our words.  But it's all the more important exactly because it is such a rare commodity in the era of social media and being famous-for-being-famous.  Ours is a time when outlandish claims can be made without any way to back them up (nor any interest in doing the fact checking), and they go viral overnight without any concern for whether they are truthful.  Ours is a time when we are used to politicians making wild assertions with the preface of "People are saying..." or "I am hearing that..." but no actual sources to support their claims.  Ours is a time when we have to insist in courtroom proceedings that witnesses swear to tell the truth--and sometimes would rather remain silent than have to make that kind of promise!--because we know people will lie or hedge the truth or conveniently omit things unless there's a threat of jail time if they do.  We live in the era of the fine print, the hidden fees, the impossible campaign promise, and the outlandish bald-faced lies rebranded as "alternative facts."  And when you are used to that kind of atmosphere, it becomes very hard to believe that integrity matters.  It is easy to become bitter and cynical and to give up on the idea that keeping your word is worth the effort.  It becomes very tempting to think that all counts is getting people to believe (or "like" or "share") what you are selling them, regardless of whether it is the truth.

James, like the imprisoned voice from V for Vendetta, dares us to go against the current, even if it means standing alone, and to insist on being people of our word.  In a time when it was fashionable to create "degrees" of truth-telling--where I really mean it if I swear with an oath that I am telling the truth, but if I don't swear it, well, I've got some wiggle room--James echoes Jesus' teaching from the Sermon on the Mount just to be truthful... all the time.  How radical!  How revolutionary!  How counter-cultural!  What if we were people, James dares us to imagine, who didn't need to make a special announcement or assertion of when we were "really" telling the truth (as opposed to the times, say, when we were just sharing a meme because it reinforced our already-existing prejudices and assumptions), because we were committed to honesty all of the time?  What if we didn't have to say, "Ok, this time I mean it!" because we meant our words all the time?

Think for a moment about how that would change our relationships for the better.  No whispers of doubt when a close friend gives you their advice that they are only telling you what they think you want to hear, because you know that they are being honest with you and respect you enough to tell you the truth.  No worries that the salesperson at the car dealership is trying to con you into a model that you don't really want so they can get a bigger commission.  No getting swept up in a conspiracy theory from some shared meme on social media, because you take the time to research and know the facts before you share things yourself.  No need to constantly wear masks around other people to present a more socially acceptable version of yourself--more attractive, or more popular, or wealthier, or more in line with the politics of your neighbors, or with kids doing better in school than they really are--because you are comfortable enough in your own skin not to have to project a fake version of who you are anymore.  That's the kind of freedom of that last inch--the freedom that comes from being people of integrity, all around.  That's the kind of freedom James offers to us when we don't have to play the game of "Do I really mean this?  Will I keep this commitment?"  because we are committed to being honest and authentic all the time.

Part of how we resist the cynicism in our society is to be people who can embody an alternative to it--in other words, in a culture where we suspect everyone else of lying to us or putting a spin on the truth for their own advantage, we can be the people who tell the truth, even when it isn't convenient.  In a culture where people have to go to extraordinary measures to assure everyone that "This time I mean it," we can be the ones who are known for being authentic all the time.  In a culture where it's easy to make outrageous claims without any evidence to back it up, we can be the people who are known for being diligent and thorough to back up what we say.  We can remind people that it doesn't have to be with way, and we don't have to accept a culture of mutual distrust; we can be the difference that reminds people of the alternative of authenticity.  We can be the ones who show others the freedom you find in holding onto that last inch of us--our integrity.

That's what James wants for us, and that's what we are freed to step into today.

Lord God, give us the courage to be truth-tellers, faithful in our promises, and authentic in what we say.