TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

Proverbs 18:17      

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I remember a time back when I was serving in my first Command Master Chief job onboard a Naval vessel in Norfolk, Virginia, when an Officer came into my office livid. He was angry about a Sailor he had found asleep in one of the Engineering work spaces during the morning field day (field day is essentially the time when the crew cleans the ship). He said he was fed up with the Sailor’s performance and wanted to write a report chit on him, an action that would start the non-judicial punishment process. I told him he had the right to do what he saw fit as a leader and we would exercise our judiciary process appropriately in handling the case.

The process, after the report chit had been initiated, was for the Sailor to first come before me and a couple of other senior enlisted leaders during a Disciplinary Review Board. My responsibility during this part of the process was to gather as many facts as I could to provide to the Executive Officer and eventually the Commanding Officer as they deliberated on the verdicts for each case.

And so in the case of this Sailor, I brought him in, read the charges against him, ensured he understood his rights, and then proceeded to question him as to what happened. The results were very interesting.

The Sailor shared how they had worked a full work day the day before and even had to work late because the engineering department was preparing for an upcoming assessment. The duty section (the ship is manned 24/7 with a portion of the crew required to work all day on a rotational basis) was working late to get things accomplished that were not able to be finished during the day. The Sailor worked up until just before midnight and then had to go on watch (a four hour period where they have a responsibility connected to monitoring the engineering plant and its operation). Coming off watch at 0400 (4 AM), he had to catch breakfast right away and then muster for the new work day. After that muster, he was in one of the engineering work spaces and, laying his head down for a moment, he fell asleep. He had been exhausted and rightfully so. He had been up more than 24 hours, something that would tire anyone.

I couldn’t help but feel upset at that juncture. The Officer who brought the case to this point had not even taken time to consider the circumstances that may have resulted in what he encountered. He was just ready to tell the side of the story he knew and had the board I chaired not done their job correctly, the Sailor could have been disciplined for something that wasn’t a fault of his own. The outcome of the matter underscores the message of the proverb today: There are two sides to every story. Look at the following verse:

In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines. Proverbs 18:17

Maybe you have seen this happen in your life as well. One person comes forward with a story that is so convincing that people begin to find someone guilty before all the facts come out. More than a few people have found themselves embarrassed and backtracking on stances they took because they were duped into believing one side of a story before they saw the whole picture of what had happened.

So how can we avoid this? How can we ensure that justice is always maintained in every case where we have to ascertain between a situation where there are two conflicting sides?

We turn to the One who is perfectly just and will always guide us toward what’s right.

In all my years of leadership, I can tell you this is a tried and true solution to matters that seem complicated and difficult to figure out. Turn to the Lord in prayer and meditate over every situation you’re trying to get to the truth of and He will guide you to that truth. Nothing is hidden from His sight and He will expose everything that is done in the dark, especially if it’s done in a way to deceive and mislead.

In the end translation, there may be two sides to every story but there’s only one right outcome to the story and that is the outcome the Lord has in store. When we seek Him, we ensure we are partnering with Him and active players in ensuring His perfect will is done in every and any circumstance.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com