Dr. Gregory House says: Everybody lies. It may be more accurate to say that everybody edits. We’re all spin doctors- to a point.
Jokes about preachers reporting attendance figures (“We had 1,000 people there, evangelistically speaking…”) and repeating stories as personal experiences are too common. I heard about a pastor telling a wild story, and one of his listeners asked, “Is that true, or are you just preaching?”
It’s also tempting to put things in the best dramatic light. I’ve notice a disclaimer on some bio-pics: “Some events depicted in this motion picture have been combined or presented out of actual sequence for dramatic effect.” Mark Twain explained this practice when he wrote: “Few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.”
Another example of editing is in interpersonal conflict. It’s always interesting to listen to different accounts of the same event in private. You learn a lot about people that way. What pastor hasn’t experienced the tearful report of a teenage girl who has been mistreated by someone in the church, always for no reason at all! The parent sits behind that precious angel with crossed arms, watching the pastor warily. Is he going to do anything about this or not? And then the accused has his turn- same scene, different story, same expectations. Everybody edits.
Another example of this practice is blatant historical revisionism. Christ Himself addressed this issue among religious leaders: “29Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves…” (Matthew 23:29-31). When I preach, I sound like I would have stood with Jesus at the cross, I would have sided with Joshua and Caleb, and I would have been the first guy on the ark. I’m more faithful than the world in general and everybody else in particular- when I preach.
So, what do I do?
•    Give credit where credit is due. All I have to add to the story to be honest is “I heard a guy tell about…” Even Jesus wasn’t the hero of every story. The Centurion’s faith, the widow’s mite, woman who anointed Him with the oil- He made sure they were singled out as examples of faith.
•    Debrief. When you go through an experience, ask some questions of others: What was the worst part of this? What is the thing you noticed most? What did other people notice? Did I hear what was actually said? What will we take away from this? And that leads to the next piece:
•    Never claim exhaustive knowledge of any event. No one has that but God. And it’s embarrassing to be absolutely certain of something that just ain’t so.