One of the strangest things about human beings is that we can detect the smell of burnt toast from three rooms away, but cannot detect an obvious lie sitting right in front of us wearing a suit and tie.
“Use discernment!” people say, and immediately somebody imagines a suspicious old grandfather peeping through curtains and distrusting everybody from milkmen to grandchildren. But discernment is not suspicion. Suspicion sees ghosts everywhere. Discernment sees truth clearly.
There is a difference.
A suspicious man or woman thinks everybody is cheating him. A discerning person quietly observes, listens, thinks, and then decides.
I have noticed something fascinating about people who lie. They usually tell on themselves. Not because they want to, but because lies are hard work. Truth walks naturally.
Lies limp.
Lies sweat.
Lies over explain.
Lies contradict themselves.
And the easiest way to uncover them is not by shouting, accusing, or behaving like a television anchor.
No.
Relax the person.
Make him comfortable.
Allow him to speak freely.
Most people reveal themselves when they think you have accepted everything they say. Suddenly the words start wobbling. The timelines change. The emotions do not match the story. The details become too polished. And then comes the greatest giveaway of all, patterns.
Patterns never lie.
A man who cheats once may have slipped. A man who cheats repeatedly has become a lifestyle artist.
But discernment also requires something far more difficult than spotting another person’s lies. It requires spotting our own desires.
That is where many intelligent people fail.
We want to believe certain things because they suit us emotionally. We ignore warning bells because we are excited. We trust flattery because it massages our ego. We accept promises because they feed our greed. Quite often the lie succeeds not because the liar is brilliant, but because we are eager customers.
That is why discernment requires humility.
And finally comes the greatest source of discernment of all, a connection with God.
King Solomon was known for wisdom. People travelled from distant lands just to hear him speak. Imagine that. No YouTube. No podcast. No Instagram reels. Yet crowds came because wisdom attracts people more powerfully than noise.
But Solomon lost something along the way. He slowly disconnected himself from the very source of his wisdom. And once disconnected from God, even the wisest man begins making foolish decisions.
Which tells us something important.
Discernment is not merely intelligence.
It is spiritual alignment.
And perhaps that is why some simple old grandmother praying quietly in a corner often understands people far better than a room full of experts with management degrees and PowerPoint presentations. Because a true spiritual connection is the finest protection against the deception and cheating of man..!
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Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and writes a daily column, which has graced the pages of over 60 newspapers and magazines, from a daily column in the Khaleej Times, Dubai, the Morning Star, London, and in nearly every state in India, from The Statesman in Kolkata, to the Kashmir Times in Kashmir to the Trinity Mirror in Chennai.
Thank You Sir Bob, for your So Very Insightful and Discerning Thoughts….
They provoke one to observe, think and Discern, and strive towards alignment with the Ultimate Connection…
Thank You so Very Much
Warm Regards, Joy
You’re welcome Joy
What you said is so true that the lie succeeds not because the liar is brilliant, but because we are eager customers. Without a heart that loves to grow the seeds of lies, how will they sprout and grow!
Thank you Jacob.
Absolutely, a lie needs constant work. Truth never changes. That’s why in interrogation they try to ask you something in different ways to see if you change even one little bit of your story. If you stick to your story then they give up and accept what you say.
That’s good to know Joseph. Thank you.
Blessed, thank you Bob! 🙏🏻
Thank you Liza.
Im not sure whether I learnt this lesson from my dear Mother or from s lesson in school. But the gist is, that when we tell a lie, we proceed to tell several more to cover up that first lie, and that it grows like a balloon, that one day bursts, covering you with shame and disgrace when it is found out.
Very true Chandra. And I do remember your dear mother and also your dad.
Very well expressed. Our spiritual alignment with God helps us sift truth from falsehood.Thanks for highlighting the same.
Thank you Hamsa!
I loved the stark difference between Suspicion and Discerning!! Thank you Bob !!
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