Messages have a way of getting watered down or outright distorted as they pass from one person to the next. And while this is not always intentional or malicious, it’s still good to hear straight from the horse’s mouth whenever possible. Clearly hearing from the original source allows us to continue walking in the light of truth.
Two people can hear the same information and walk away with two different interpretations.
This will then shape the story they tell others. And it’s quite possible that the original message soon becomes lost in translation.
Many times this is unintentional. We simply interpret new information through the story we’re already telling ourselves.
For instance, we might filter our wife’s request through our childhood wounds or the present-day assumptions we’re making about her.
Hearing straight from the horse’s mouth requires us to listen to what she’s actually communicating and not merely what we think she’s saying.
However unintended, running with misinformation keeps us in the dark and sets us up for misunderstandings and harm later.
And it’s true we don’t live in Mayberry. While we might grow to give our loved ones the benefit of the doubt, not everyone has our best interest in mind.
The thief of goodness, for example, often uses deception to steal, kill, and destroy the life that God has for us. This has been the case since the beginning in the Garden.
Hearing clearly from original sources allows us to avoid the deceptive spin others might try to trap us with.
This is certainly true spiritually – needing God’s word to direct our life more than other people’s commentaries about God.
And it’s true also as we try to navigate the culture around us. Knowing what others actually say gives us much-needed clarity as we seek to respond wisely to the events around us.
It’s okay to occasionally get someone else’s take on issues. But it’s much better to get it straight from the horse’s mouth whenever possible.
Photo by Kelly Forrister on Unsplash
