Were You Falsely Accused?
A spiritual look at issues of interest to young people
One of the hardest things to deal with is being accused of something you are not guilty of.
This has happened to most people in one way or another. Sometimes an accusation is said right to your face. Other times you can sense people are thinking something about you that just isn't true, even though they don't come right out and say it. For me, this is the more difficult of the two.
One time, I got a notice telling me that I had a book overdue at the school library. When I looked at the title, I knew I hadn't ever checked out that book. Later the librarian came and asked to take me out of class. She sat down with me in her office and questioned me about the book. I told her that I was certain I'd never had it, because the subject matter was of absolutely no interest to me. She looked deep into my eyes, and I still remember feeling all flushed, afraid she didn't believe me. (In the end she had to believe me; the book was eventually returned by someone else.)
Another time, in high school, I was rushing from one class to another with my best friend. The school nurse abruptly stopped me in the hall. She lifted my head up high and looked up into my nose - right in front of everyone. Then she announced loudly that I shouldn't be in school with such a bad cold. I was really embarrassed! But I was also angry because I didn't have even the slightest symptom of a cold. In a few moments she apologized and said that she guessed she had made a mistake - that that was just the way my nose was constructed.
It was really hard to forgive her. But
I had been taught that this was what I must do. Forgiveness is one of the first things to feel when you have been wronged. Forgiveness sets the stage for healing and reconciliation.
Even when we are doing our best to be good, and to do everything just right, other people may still have false opinions about us. Sometimes these are simply the result of misunderstandings. Other times they are due to jealousy toward us. No matter, they are lies about our character.
There's a lot you can do, though. You can know better. That is, you can always know the truth. Christ Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Christian Science, the study of what Jesus taught, explains that Truth is another name for God. God is always present and fills all space. So, Truth is ever present and fills all space. And a lie is error, the opposite of Truth, which cannot exist in the allness of Truth.
God is also Mind, the only real Mind, which is wholly good. And Mind alone can actually control you, your friends, and everyone. So, what is true must be knowable to everyone. And a lie does not have a leg to stand on, because it does not have Truth to stand on!
Even if you are convinced that someone has a wrong opinion about who you are or what you've done, you can still be assured that God knows the truth! That's helpful. God is conveying to others the truth He knows about you. And also to you the truth He knows about everyone else.
God creates no sickness, dishonesty, or hatred. He made us each to express the opposite: health, integrity, love. Even if there is evidence that you or one of your friends is sick or in trouble, you can still stand up, silently, for your right to know and experience only what God knows - the truth! Mary Baker Eddy, who founded the Christian Science Church, wrote, "We have strength in proportion to our apprehension of the truth ..." ("Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures," Pg. 80).
Knowing the truth of God and His power is what brings healing to situations of false accusation. And doing what's right is part of it; it's always one of the best ways to stop people from circulating lies about us. The more you trust this, the more your concern is about being loving, forgiving those who have wronged you, and seeing that Truth always has the final word!
My defence is of
God, which saveth
the upright in heart.
Psalms 7:10