When I was a street cop, I never quite understood some people’s reactions to me when I had to make an arrest. The popular refrain from those who did not like what they witnessed was, “You’re a pig!” It didn’t occur to them to wait to discover a fuller understanding of what had taken place leading up to the arrest. It was simply our presence that drew the “Pig” comment. Their derangement blinded their vision.

Deception has no limitations on the scope of our delusions. People are too willing to create their response around sound bites and the limited release of information of what happened. They make their judgments based on those limitations.

Recently, some in the Church have violated the “72-Hour Rule” about prematurely commenting on what happened between President Trump and Zelensky. They only listened to the last part of the interview, a confrontational 10-minute segment, but did not listen to the previous 40+ minutes of the interview where humor and collegiality were present and where both sides offered valuable points of insight.

The limited release of the 10-minute interview snippet created a deepening frustration in some viewers because it was absent of what the previous portions of the interchange had revealed. It was also absent of the weeks of negotiations that had led up to the press conference. The principle of waiting to see and rightly interpret what has taken place is a sign of wisdom.

We need to intercede for all parties involved in the difficult job of bringing peace to three years of war, death, and destruction. That choice will raise us above our differing opinions and allow us to work with God for a peaceful resolution.

“The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins” (Proverbs 18:17).

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