In yesterday’s blog I wrote about choosing to go into a store without a mask primarily because I object to the mandate to wear one. I believe it puts a misplaced responsibility on me to keep everyone around me healthy.

In my telling of the story, I wrote that when a cashier told me I had to wear a mask to enter the store, I replied that “I can’t wear one.” Not that I won’t wear one, but that I can’t wear one, as though I had some condition preventing me from doing so.

My justification for saying “can’t” was that my convictions are strong enough that my conscience won’t let me. That’s not too far from the truth, but if I am to be completely honest, I shaded the truth with the word “can’t” to soften my defiance of the requirement. It was a ruse.

If a fact-checker rated my rationale, I would probably be given a “partially true.” But that also means it was “partially false.”

That’s not honorable, especially as it pertains to my faith. I’ve confessed to the Lord that I lied when I said that, and have thanked him for the forgiveness I find in Christ. Since I wrote that publicly, I wanted to confess it publicly, and I pledge to do better in my personal conduct when it comes to speaking the truth.

You may be reading this and cringe that I admitted my sin, not only because it seems like such a tiny infraction, but because I claim to be a Christian. I’ll only say that the fact that I sin, even as a Christian, isn’t something I hide out of fear I’ll be called a hypocrite. I confess it because that’s exactly why I need a Savior.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. — James 5:16