Calling a Spade Anything But a Spade

On July 3, the Egyptian military ousted democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi and installed themselves as the functioning government. In recent weeks the military has begun opening fire on supporters of ousted president Morsi, killing hundreds of them. By all classical definitions, what happened in Egypt was a military coup.

Yet interestingly enough, the White House has called what has happened in Egypt everything but a coup. Their refusal to call a spade a spade is simple: by law, if they refer to what happened in Egypt as a ‘coup,’ then they would have to cut off $1.5 billion in aid to them, something they’re unwilling to do at this point. The result is a strenuous case of linguistic gymnastics as the White House press secretary dances around pointed questions about Egypt, refusing to use the word ‘coup.’ If there weren’t millions of lives at stake, the whole exercise would be laughable. The White House refuses to admit something that is so plainly obvious to the outside world.

Here’s the spiritual application: what sin (spade) in your life are you refusing to call out as what it really is: sin? What area in your life have you been struggling with for years? What habit or addiction would be plainly obvious to everyone else as a problem, yet it’s something you refuse to admit you need help with? What spade are you calling anything but a spade?

• Maybe it’s an addiction to internet pornography that you still convince yourself you can still handle on your own.
• Maybe it’s your penchant for buying things you don’t really need with credit cards you shouldn’t have, and your debt is now sky high.
• Perhaps it’s that hobby that you still call a hobby, but it’s turned into an obsession, negatively impacting the relationships around you.
• Maybe it’s that alcohol that you promise you can quit anytime, but deep down you know you can’t.
• Perhaps you’ve gotten consumed by your work, finding your identity in that rather than in your family.

Whatever it is you struggle with, be honest with yourself. Call a spade a spade. If you struggle with something, get help.