Dec 2000 Volume 81 Number 12
"serving the protectors"
| Dec 2000 Volume 81 Number 12 "serving the protectors" |
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Telling It Straight |
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| By Bob
George |
George Bernard Shaw once said: “If you tell a person the truth about themselves, make them laugh or they’ll kill you.”
One of the gifts I admire most in another person is the ability to tell it like it really is - but in a helpful way. This is no more appreciated than when I have stuffed up and need to know the hard truth about myself. But in hearing about my failings, I also want to be motivated into doing something about them, rather than becoming defensive, or more entrenched in my unhelpful ways. It is one thing, of course, to tell it straight, and it is another to be sensitive to the occasion, unlike the following story I heard recently.
There were two brothers who made lots of money from their shady dealings. They were corrupt and immoral, but clever, too, as they managed to evade the law. And they were so proud of their apparent respectability.
One person whom they didn’t succeed in fooling was the local priest. He knew exactly what was going on and what kind of people these brothers really were, even if he didn’t make a point of saying so publicly.
When one of the brothers died, this priest was approached about taking the funeral. During the preparations the surviving brother took out his cheque book and said: “Now Father, I know the church is always short of money and that you need to replace the roof. Here is a cheque for twice the amount, on one condition. At my brother’s funeral I want you to tell everyone he was a saint.”
The priest promised that he would and promptly banked the cheque.
On the day of the funeral, to everyone’s great surprise, he really let rip. “You all know what this man was like,” the priest said in the supposed eulogy. “He was a liar, a cheat and a crook, and he never did an honest deal in his life.
“Mind you,” he went on to say, “compared to his brother, he was a saint!”
God knows the horrible truth about us, but is not fazed by that knowledge. He gives us the opportunity to experience his love. If we own up to our faults and acknowledge God’s Son in our daily living, then we are forgiven. The whole point of Jesus’ coming to this earth was to provide us with the opportunity to move on from past failures. Our rebellion separates us from God. Jesus’ death and resurrection ensures our forgiveness. God is always straight with us. If we accept the truth about ourselves, it will set us free to be straight with others.
Welfare Section 58 David Marr 8364 3567 Senior Police Chaplain. Academy 8 Mark Thomas 8296 9616 Adelaide: Angas Street 158 Bruce Grindlay 8295 2220 Adelaide: Hindley Street 62 Bruce Grindlay 8295 2220 Adelaide Hills Division 54 Adrian Stephens 8398 2510 Office: 8398 2517 Ceduna 214 Bob Borgas 8625 3503 Christies Beach 20 Vacant Clare 202 Michael Dutschke 8842 3681 Communications 172 David Hand 8376 5612 Elizabeth 52 Stephen Brooks 0418 840 739 Far North 210 John Folkman 8672 5011 Firearms/Records Dianna Bartlett 8337 8552 Focus 21 Richard Lawton 8362 4936 Gawler 52 Brian Tscharke 8522 2288 Glenelg 22 Malcolm Thomas 8377 0772 Henley Beach 18 Brenton Daulby 8443 8286 Holden Hill 44 Rod Dyson 8365 1170 Kadina 71 Vacant Kingston 208 Mount Gambier 208 Brian Ashworth (w) 8723 1353 (h) 8725 2537 Murray Bridge 200 Malcolm Bottrill 8532 5536 Naracoorte 208 Bruce Cliff 8737 2457 0417 811 702 Norwood 60 Lynton Wade 8362 2227 0418 831 703 Nuriootpa 204 Andy Kowald 8562 1011 Port Adelaide 6 Jeff Oake 8341 5930 Port Pirie 206 Steve Ardill 8632 3977 Prosecution Services 176 Vacant Port Augusta PS 210 Vacant Port Lincoln 214 Vacant Riverland 212 Robin Zadow 8588 1540 Salisbury 53 Vacant South East Terry Natt 8571 1114 Sturt 12 Chris Beal 8278 9578 Tea Tree Gully 48 Bob George 8395 9363 Thebarton Barracks 32 Joe Grealy 8338 3225 Transit Division Wayne Shepherd 8443 4895 Whyalla 218 Tony Redden 8649 3593
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