Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Friday May 5, 2006

In response to an article about character a man wrote to me and asked, "Mr. Lilly, how can you talk about choosing friends of character? I know many of your friends who are not considered 'savory.'"

How would you answer such an honest question? For my part, I admit to not having always been 'savory.' But then we are not into cannibalism are we?

The difference between a person of character and a less than 'savory' character is really simple and the difference is played out practically on a daily basis. The man or woman of character says, often with a pain in the heart, "The accusation is true, I was wrong, I have asked the Lord to forgive me and made what amends can be made. When this wrong is of such a nature to divide the Lord's people I mention it, other than that it is not even history in the Kingdom of Christ."

Charles Colson is exemplary in his demonstration of this kind of character.

In his book "What Will He Do With It?" published in 1942, Edward Bulwer Lytton wrote:

"He who is honestly mistaken, when he sees the truth, will either cease to be mistaken or cease to be honest."

This epiphany of the searing realization of error is often necessary to deliver people from the Egyptian River, Denial. It can be heartbreaking, utterly humiliating to be hit between the eyes with the cold, hard, unblinking fact that you have been thinking, or acting in a manner not approved by the Lord and civilized society. The Prodigal had his epiphany in a pig pen in a far country. His father received him as a son of character demonstrating this through the giving of the best robe, the ring, the shoes and his acceptance. The killing of the fatted calf probably had more significance than a mere feast, but typifies the shedding of blood, pointing to the blood of Christ which cleanseth us from all sin.

Without the experience of 'seeing the light' we go on in fear, bluffing our way through life, ever looking over our shoulder to see if the sinister specter of sins past are about to leap from the dark secrets of our heart into the light of day. I have been rather fortunate in that the national media, as with Mr. Colson, shouted my name from the housetop. And rather than carry the shame of it to my grave, I took it to the cross of Calvary. Make of it what you will, but it is nothing in heaven.

Cut is anyway you like, but Lytton's statement is true:

"He who is honestly mistaken, when he sees the truth, will either cease to be mistaken or cease to be honest."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2006 Use with credit.

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