Three Sides to Every Story

You’ve heard the saying: There are two sides to every story. I grew up believing that, but I recently discovered that old adage doesn’t present the whole truth. The reality is … there are three sides to every story: my side, the other person’s side and God’s side (the truth).

I have sat through countless counseling sessions, convinced I knew all the facts and had figured out the whole situation after listening to a person pour out their heart. But when I heard the other person’s side of the story, I realized my first assessment was wrong. These experiences have taught me that I should not draw conclusions until I hear both sides of the story. But even that is not enough. I need to ask God to reveal His perspective … the truth.

You see, I’ve learned that we can say and do the right thing, but our inner attitude can smack of pride and self righteousness. From God’s perspective, the truth needs to line up with James 3:17:  “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Having a Christ-like spirit is much more important than having all of the facts correct. No matter how right I may feel I am, if the spirit of what I am feeling and saying does not fit within the grid of James 3:17, I try to wait until my attitude changes. I’ve learned that giving my perspective without the wisdom from above is stupidity.

So the next time you feel you are right, I encourage you to get the Lord’s perspective. His side of the story is always the truth.