HAPPY SABBATH + A Comfortable Lie!

Hard-To-Figure
Full-Of-Contradictions
Delicate
I-Can-Take-It and
Whatever
Were In A Family Meeting.

Things Were Well and Good
For There Was Big News To Shared By Lord-It!

BUT ...

There Is - Always - A "Big Problem!"

The Big Problem Is That For Certain People
Who Shall Remain Unnamed
Telling The Plain Truth
Always Ended Up - Allegedly -
Causing Real Pain!

After The Last Family Meeting
And The Resultant Kerfuffle
It Had Been Decided
That For The Best In Family Unity
Each Person
- Before The Official Business Was Presented -
Had To Pick-a-Slip
Which Would Dertermine
How He Or She
Would Receive The News That Affected Them Personally:

1. Hurt-Me Honestly!
2. Easy Lie!
3. Hard Truth!
4. Spit It Out!
5. Polish It!
6. Politics, Please!
7. Diplomacy All The Way!

Every Man's Decision Was To Be Respected
AND
Positions Were Never To Be Denigrated!

Everything Was Going Along Swimmingly!
Everyone Had Made Their Decision
AND
Positions Had Been Taken Up!

Delicate Was In Rapture!
She Had Been Told That She Was Going To Get Real Money
And Had Been Handed A Large Envelope!

Delicate Indelicately Hopped Up
And Started Singing And Dancing
"I'm In The Money!
Don't Hate Me,  Honey!"

I-Can-Take-It
Had Chosen The Slip For Hard Truth
And Had - At The End Of Lord-It's Recital
Which Had Left Him Looking
A Bit Green Around The Gills -
Received A Small, White, Window Envelope.
He Shuddered ... And Hung His Head.

At The End Of Lord-It's Announcements
Denouncements
Reports, and
Disbursals
Everybody As One Gathered Around
Delicate and I-Can-Handle-It To Congratulate
And Commiserate ... As Appropriate.

I-Can-Handle-It Opened His Small Envelope
And, After Reading The Contents, Shouted:
"Hallelujah!
Thank You, Jesus!"
And Then Laughed 
And Laughed 
Until He Cried Tears!
Happy Tears!
Things Were Not As Bad As Had Been Presented In The Assembly!
He Was Going To Be Better Than Okay!

Everybody Waited 
Excitedly 
As Delicate Opened Her Large Overstuffed Envelope
With Her Hands Trembling With Anticipation
Over Her Good Fortune!

Four Large Stacks of $100 Bills!
Delicate Gulped!
Delicate Gasped!
Delicate Screamed!
Delicate Kissed The Stacks!
Delicate Raucously Danced, and
In True Champion Style
The Always Delicate Delicate
Energetically Slammed One Money Stack Into The Ground!

The Paper Band On The Stack Burst!
And ... Well ...

The Inside Contents of The Stack Was ... FAKE!

In Fact
Only The Top 
And Bottom 
Of Each Stack Was Real!

Delicate Stumbled!
Delicate Dropped Unceremoniously To The Floor
And Dissolved Into Gut-wrenching Tears.

Delicate's Penchant For Being Allegedly Protected
From The Ugly Truths In Her Life
Had Finally Become Her Undoing! 

A Comfortable Lie

Cannot 

Conceal 

The Uncomfortable Truth!

*******

Likewise ...

Choosing To Believe 
The Comfortable Lie

That Almighty God 
Is
A Myth

Will Not Make 
His Very Real Appearing 
The Desirable Untruth! 

*******

Accepting The Word Of Truth 
That Life On Earth

Serving The Lord Jesus Christ 
Is Hard, Dangerous, and Deadly

Will - For The Victorious Overcomer -
Be Forgotten 
In The Face 
Of

Heaven's Rewards
On The Day Of Revelation!

*******

PRAY, BELIEVE AND PLOD ON!!

*******

Remember: TRUTH IS PLAIN!!