Credibility

Credibility

6/17/15

All of us wish to establish and maintain a credible account of our lives.  It is very important that we do our best to achieve this standing and as long as we accept the fact that honesty is one of the main foundations of this goal we will have the reasonable chance in reaching it.  However, when this status is based upon lies nothing good will come from its status, only hurt and pain will be the end results.  We cannot achieve this status in life without first understanding who our creator is and then complimenting this standard with mankind’s Creator, then all things will become possible in our lives.

This topic that is currently floating around the world touches my personal life in a very specific manner.  As some might know, I was adopted when I was a baby.  To a very loving home with great and loving parents whom I still cherish today.  My parents never kept anything about my adoption from me and always told me the truth about how I came to be a Bishop.  Of course, they did not give me the entire story when I was 10 years old but by the time I was graduated from high school I knew everything that they knew.

It was no big deal for me to be adopted and unless it was brought up for some reason I never really thought about that fact of my life.  But being adopted was a part of my life and it was a fact of my life that needed to be understood by some when certain settings arose.  The medical side of things was by far the most important aspect of things but at other times some traits of mine would appear out of nowhere which made me stop and wonder about things for a moment.  All of these new additions to my life I could understand and easily accept since I knew I had a set of biological parents other than my adoptive ones.  But what would my attitude be if I did not know this truth about my beginnings and upbringing?  How would I feel about things if I had found out that my adoptive parents had lied to me all of those years, even though they gave me the best that anyone could have received?  The same concept applies in this current identity thieving that is now all the rage to embrace. 

Approximately five years ago my parents received a phone call from a man that lived in Arkansas.  It is tough enough knowing that someone gave you up for another family but through the grace and peace of God, He has allowed total acceptance of my life on my side of the issues and from my parents side of the issues; and this is the way it is supposed to be, for every life created. When my parents answered this call, it was a man claiming to be my brother and how he had just then found out that I existed. This shocker was setting up to be a hard time for everyone involved since none of my biological brother and sisters knew anything about me until that time frame.  In other words, they had been lied to for over 40 years about their own family; this had to hurt.

To top things off, we have recently found out that we have another uncle living in Georgia.  Mike and I had no idea about him and to everyone’s “amazement” he had no idea about us either.  This new revelation has answered a few questions that Mike and I have had, but it also raised many more questions than expected.  Some are so sensitive that just the thought of them are damaging enough and are the type that can burn with anger for an entire life.  I cannot blame one for being upset with these types of findings, but it is the lies that hide the truth that hurt the most and will have the most impact in this situation.

When a person finds out that the life that they thought was their foundation turns out to be a complete lie, that information has the potential to do some serious damage in that life.  No one wins when this type of situation is allowed to fester quietly, especially 40 or more years but even 1 day is way too long for such an atrocity.  The lie only deepens, not erased because at some point in life the truth will filter out somehow and then lives will change drastically.  When dealing with an individual, there cannot be any worse condition to experience than a direct lie about that person, not only for the person themselves but for everyone else involved in the committed lie.  In my brother’s case the lie continues to grow because not all of the truth has been told and those who know more about that truth are refusing to correct the lie, which will only deepen the anger and bitterness into hatred, even if one has moved on with their life.

Around the year 2001 there was a man who had established a reputable college football program at Georgia Tech University whose name was George O’Leary.  He had literally worked his way up the ladder to be a major university coach, beginning in the high school ranks.  On paper, he was destined to be one of the best coaches around and should be considered a top candidate to one of the larger football programs in the country if all went according to plan.  After a couple of decades of assistant coaching jobs, he received the call to be the next head coach at GT.  Mr. O’Leary turned that program into a powerhouse opponent and was in contention for conference champions each one of GT’s seasons under his rule.

After a fine tenure with GT, a certain major football program came knocking on his door and everyone who knew what was transpiring was considering this opportunity for Mr. O’Leary to be one of a lifetime.  I do not know that everyone around the world has heard of the University of Notre Dame but I can guarantee that the majority of the world’s population has at one time or another and this was the program that came knocking on Mr. O’Leary’s door.  Anyone who wants to coach football will have a dream to coach this team with all of the pomp and circumstances that go along with it.  However, not just anyone would be considered to fit within the confines of the coach’s chair at this university, they had to be chosen which meant that their credentials must be a certain level.

With the school’s mascot being a Leprechaun and having the nickname of “Fighting Irish” and them considering a man by the name of George O’Leary, one would automatically assume that his name alone would place him at the top of the list of possible coaches.  Of course, the media was going wild over the prospect that George O’Leary was going to be considered and some even had him as a lock for the position.  It did not take long for both sides to issue statements that in fact Mr. O’Leary was going to be the next head coach at Notre Dame. 

Within a matter of a few days of the official announcement that George O’Leary was the next head football coach at Notre Dame some questions began to surface.  It seems like that some of the listings on his resume were not lining up and when the university began investigating a bit further those inaccuracies were proven to be true.  The allegations turned into truths and shortly afterwards Mr. O’Leary was once again in front of the cameras resigning his position as head football coach of Notre Dame without even having his presence on the practice field.

Mr. O’Leary’s credibility went into the toilet and he almost immediately went into hiding until the situation died down a bit. There were still some lingering questions that he was forced to answer but for the most part his coaching career was on a long hiatus and it might have been believed that it may be over.  Disappointment was no doubt present all around the campus of Notre Dame, the campus of Georgia Tech and across the nation, for one of the NCAA’s golden boys had fallen from his perch and after the dust had settled it was widely known that he fell hard.  Everyone involved in this scandal was completely embarrassed and while searches continued for replacement coaches, everyone knew that hearts were heavy during this time.

George O’Leary eventually returned to the sidelines and presently is a head coach of another large school.  His salary eventually returned as well and one can still see his brilliance as a head play caller for a football team, but even though his mind and heart are still within the game and can contribute greatly to any football program I doubt very seriously that his presence at another major university will ever take place.  I know that Mr. O’Leary still receives questions about this incident and from his responses it is evident that it continues to dwell within his soul as a black mark and turning point of his career; one in which he is none too proud.

Today, the country is once again being subjected to another person who has lied about a portion of their life; however, this time it is not concerning a resume (kind of) but of her own personal life.  While this person was locally known and mainly kept out of the national spot light for the most part she has been thrust into it by her proclamations concerning her ethnic origins.  This type of remarks and claims does not surprise me since many people love to embellish stories about their lives in order to make a point to their friends, other family members or colleagues.  But when those remarks actually defame those colleagues, friends or family members it crosses a line that can only result in hurtful and sometime life-long turmoil between the people involved within the lies.

In this lady’s case she claimed that she was half black and that it was her father that was black and her mother was white.  We all know that this type of racial blending is common in our world today, not just this example but of many races, and probably would have not even been questioned at all; it just fits within the societal standards of today.  However, someone must have known that the parents that she claimed to have in the past did not fit this category and when the investigation began the doubts of her public proclamation about her “father” were inaccurate at best. 

Shortly afterwards an interview came out on national television with the parents that she was born to which were both white in ethnic origin.  Pictures of this lady were flashed across the screen when she was a little girl and then again at a later date in her life clearly showing her true ethnic origin.  Ironically this entire story broke at the same time this lady was going to be a main speaker at one of the upcoming NAACP meetings telling about her life and how she dealt with her ethnic existence. 

There is no doubt that this false proclamation did cause hurt and pain within her family, especially her true parents.  In addition to this false claim about her parents, a new development has just been discovered that enhances the lie and it conveniently pursues the life of a man that this lady claimed to be her father.  It is amazing that the story that she has made public concerning her “father” resembles the life of this man, which she does know and refers to him as her “dad” but is in no way her birth father. I understand this type of claim, for I have four daughters and their friends call me “dad” on a regular occasion.  They are part of my extended family and I would do everything in my power to protect them if needed, but they would never claim me as their birth father nor would I ever allow them to do such a thing, unless of course I would adopt them for some reason., but even then I would not be their biological father.

The concept of being someone else has always been demonstrated throughout human history.  We can read countless accounts of leaders and “common” people in this quest in many history books and primary documents.  But from our current practices it seems like we have not heeded these examples and discontinued this practice of painful lies, not only to ourselves but to our families as well, but have embraced these practices once again and are now in the process of establishing laws to protect these practices.

There is nothing more foundational than our own credibility and if we voluntarily destroy this basis of our lives we will eventually crumble both as an individual and as a society.  There is no question that all of us wish to have fame and glory on some level for recognition on a superior level can make or break our lives.  However, no matter what the circumstances may be we cannot afford to fabricate our “resume” in order to establish this status.  It is even more difficult when society exploits this type of behavior and condemns those who actually expose this wrong doing, then rewards these people with other positions after a while of seclusion.  In my family’s case this seclusion has been in effect for over 47 years now and it does not look like it is going to end any time soon.

Think for a moment of how things will be when this type of charades is conducted on a national or societal level.  Oh, wait a minute they already are being conducted on this level.  Not just now but they have been for a very long time, and yes even during ancient times this practice was conducted and the same results will occur today as they did back then.  We have got to lose this theme of ambiguity about the truth that we have voluntarily and purposefully created and established within our lives. It has infiltrated every part of our societal standing and it is now even encompassing the Church, willingly I might add.

I understand that the world has its own ideologies and philosophies about how people can live, act and die but if we are totally honest with ourselves (lol) this type of activity would be condemned instead of promoted.  Yet, the world screams war, war, war and throws its weight into the faces of those who do not agree with what the new standards are becoming.  God asks us to stop and to take a hard and honest look at what we are doing to our lives and how much personal, emotional and spiritual damage we are doing to our existence, both as an individual and as a society because just as other societies found out these types of acceptances will only lead to one result, destruction.

In each one of these examples that has been shared in this article are real and they have occurred within our lifetime.  The ones in ancient history were real as well and through all of these examples the picture has been clearly painted and hung on the societal wall for everyone to see.  Once again it has become clear that when mankind tries to do things on their own nothing good comes out as a result.  A temporary fix for a troubled time is not a good result and no individual or nation can function in that capacity.  At the same time it has also become clear that God has all of the correct answers, He even takes all of the problems away at the same time, case closed.  Yet, we continue to believe in the worldly kingdom that is faltered and allow ourselves to be drugged into slavery to this kingdom.

God’s Word is not a bunch of condemning laws that were made to hold humanity back from its total potential.  On the contrary they were put in place to free us from the slavery of the world so that we may life in total freedom through God.  There is nothing hypocritical about God’s Word for it is all about humans and how we have struggled during our existence and at the same time providing us with a way out of those struggles if we just accept the real truth.  We do not have to lose our credibility on any level but if we ever do we have the confidence to know that God shall accept us back into His Kingdom and will restore our credibility through His ways.  That is the good news mission that Jesus spoke about when He walked this earth and it was the exact command that He gave us to complete as well.

It all comes down to this: there are two kingdoms and those two kingdoms have immortal and hated enemies as their leaders. These two kingdoms can never mix in any way for they are at war for your eternal existence.  One Kingdom is ruled by God, His Son and the Holy Spirit and the other kingdom is ruled by their arch enemy – and ours – Satan.  There is no middle ground present, there never was and there never shall be, period!

Both leaders are calling out your name, and both leaders are vying for your eternal destination.  Look at our past and see what this type of credibility brings to our credentials as created beings and it should become clear what happens when we understand the kingdom of the world versus the Kingdom of God and the outcome of each choice.  God loves you and does not wish to watch us lose your personal credibility, nor does He wish to see out national and societal credentials go down the drain, but He shall allow it to occur if we chose to do so.

DLB