.

Made my way to the mail box the other day and among all the enjoyable things I always receive was a letter from my Homeowners Association. I rarely hear from them so I was interested in what they might have to say, until I opened it.

Along with a note telling me all the things they do was a notice that my garbage cans were seen out on days that my garbage was not to be picked up. This is not only a violation of the Homeowners Association’s rules but the city I live in doesn’t like it either. I was advised to get this situation resolved in ten days.

This will not be a problem because my garbage cans are never out on a day when the garbage is not being collected. My day is Monday; when I come home from church on Sunday night and normally that is somewhere around 10 pm I put them out. Then on Monday afternoon I bring them back up to the house. So unless they were driving around my neighborhood at 11 pm on a Sunday night, highly unlikely, I was falsely accused. It bugged me a bit but then I promptly filed the letter in the appropriate trash can to be taken out at the proper time.

Later that same day I was heading out to check the flower beds and as I did I noticed something attached to my door that looked like a notice. Again this is unusual so I took a peek. There in my hand was a notice from the police code enforcement agency that I had ten days to get the carpet out from behind the house.

That sounded interesting since I have not done anything with carpet, ever at this house. I went to the back and found nothing in my alley or at the back of the house. As I walked back to the house I found that the address number on the ticket was 5005 and I live at 5009, the notice was for my neighbor not me. They had put it on the wrong door. I quickly informed the fine city of their mistake, they were apologetic and the issue was resolved.

Trust me in my life you could safely accuse me of a lot of things and that is bad enough but nothing seems to bother me more than when someone says I did or are something I am not. In the two above cases the issues was quickly resolved; that is rarely the case. False accusations can destroy; let’s pause to make sure we are not guilty of making false accusations below are some friendly reminders.

1) If you are tempted to accuse someone of something ask yourself this simple question, “Why?” Your motive will reveal a lot about your spiritual and mental status.

2) Make sure you have all the facts and I will let you in on something, if it is in regards to another person you probably don’t have all the facts. Very rarely do I find one side of the story to be the absolute truth. When it comes to differences between people or in descriptions of events everyone has their slant. The truth is almost always somewhere in the middle. *Note to self, even I have a slant, ouch.

3) Ask yourself another very short question, “What good is it going to do to bring this to light or to make the accusation?” This is when our spiritual life should kick in. Understand that the Bible from start to finish is concerned about redemption, forgiveness and bringing a person back to a right relationship with God. If our concern is about those things then good, the risks are worth it. If it about getting even or jealousy then not so good, stay away from it.

Let me identify what harm accusations especially false ones can do, these in themselves should make us very careful about what we say or who we accuse:

1) Once something is said it can never be retrieved and even if the truth comes out the damage has been done. Some people will always have doubt or see the person as guilty.

2) Be prepared for the accusation to drive a wedge between you and the accused. Families, friends, co-workers and church members are separated forever when someone is wrongly accused or accused with the wrong motive in mind.

3) You become attached to the accusation yourself; if done for the wrong reasons or found to be false then it sheds a negative light on you that will not go away either.

I am still good friends with my city and HOA, I like the job they do. Don’t count on being so fortunate with others if you join them in the false accusation business.

Scripture: Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, Help us to be wise in how we handle the truth. Guide us to seek your wisdom as we deal with relationships and the words we use. Have us to seek the best in all circumstances. We ask these things in the name of Christ, Amen.