Just Say Yes, Not Absolutely!

"Simply let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no', 'no'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
Matthew 5:37

     Am I the only one who is sick of hearing the word "absolutely"? I must hear it six times a day, either on television, radio or throughout normal conversation. This word is overused - why?

     An online article from CNN I found had some interesting viewpoints. It said that people have become so cynical, they expect spin and deception, so they feel the need to emphatically answer with "absolutely", as though it sets their answer apart from the norm.

     Paul Bossert, an assistant dean at the University of California, was quoted as saying, "In a time where there is so much mendacity and prevarication, a simple affirmative such as 'yes' doesn't quite cut it anymore." To better understand his point, I looked up the definitions of his chosen words. Mendacity is "a lie, a falsehood". Prevarication means "to walk crookedly, to evade the truth."

     Isn't that sad? Falsehood is so prevalent that we feel the need to mark our answers with the exclamation point of "Absolutely!"

    Jesus spoke plainly about this very topic in his Sermon on the Mount. We, as humans, have such limitations, we cannot even change one hair from white to black, but God can. If I live in him, his integrity becomes my own. By walking in the light, I should be able to plainly say "yes" or "no" and be as good as my word.

     Live truthfully.