Until we knew better, the first time we hung wallpaper we did so from the corner outward … neglecting to take the time to plumb the wall. Failing to find out if the wall was even resulted in adhered wallpaper that was crooked at the other end.

Jumping to conclusions about a relational matter can be compared to covering a wall with paper without finding the true center. Plumb lines set the center from which to judge the hanging of paper, as should truth always set the center from which to make assessment of an issue.

Reflecting upon past relational mistakes, I became aware that I had jumped to conclusions, far too many times, before “plumbing” my thoughts in truth. I would react to what seemed to be the is sue, when I had failed to gather all the facts. Truth was missing; thus the proverbial wall  I was staring at was not centered.

Emotional reactions attach as adhesive-like strips upon a soul that presumes way too much ~ usually when all the facts are not in. Let the strips remain too long on the wall and it becomes a major ordeal to peel the paper. Had truth been central, the peeling process would have either been prevented or could have been done early, before the whole wall was covered.

Reactive words spoken apart from having all the facts result in messy peeling. In more difficult cases, painful sanding is required to prepare a wall for plumbed re-application. Truth would have prevented that from happening in the first place.

“God showed me this vision: My Master was standing beside a wall. In his hand he held a plumb line. God said to me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then my Master said, ‘Look what I’ve done. I’ve hung a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel….'” [Amos 7:8-9]