[sic]

This afternoon I googled what [sic] means.  I have seen it numerous times in stuff that I have read, but I never knew what it meant.  Teachers have always told me to look up a word if I don't know what it means, but I have most often neglected to do so. Often times, I would read it after a misspelled word, grammatical error, misstatement of fact, etc. Google told me "sic in square brackets is an editing term used with quotations or excerpts. It means 'that’s really how it appears in the original.'"  

In our Internet world, anybody can put himself out on the Internet for the whole world to see.  For instance, I can write a blog and be quite intimate and personal and somebody in Kenya can know me just as well as an acquaintance with whom I work.  I am often entertained by some of the things that people share on facebook.  It may cause me to blush and to think that person has no shame.  I often see status updates that a person makes while he is mad, in the heat of the moment, only to later delete that status when he has cooled off a bit.  

I think we all have a desire to edit ourselves.  We aim to present ourselves to others in the best possible light.  As I write this, I am trying to actually sound like a person that has some sort of education and doesn't overuse words like "cool" or "sucks."  None of us can be perfect editors.  It is impossible to make ourselves look like we have everything under control.  We are all broken, bruised, and a little sic [sic].  I think that it is good for us try to present ourselves in the best way; it shows that we actually respect ourselves.  However, it is hypocritical for us to try to cover up all of our scars and sins.  Jesus would call it cleaning the outside of the cup and leaving the inside full of dirt and mold (Matt. 23:25-26).  

I want to be able to put my best self out there for people to see.  On a first date, most men don't give the woman a list of all of their dark-sided dirty secrets.  Something I have learned is that it is important to have people in our lives that do see the worst of us so that they can give us loving criticism.  (It is like how I got my wife Jennifer to proofread this for me. I will never be able to see all of my mistakes, but she will probably catch them for me.)  When people criticize us out of love the goal is to make us a better person.  I also believe that God is the only one that can give the most honest criticism.  He knows the secrets of our souls of which we are completely unaware.  God sees our thoughts, our bitterness, our self-righteousness and hatred in extents that would make us cringe.  If we care about living a life that will please God and living at peace with others, we must seek God's criticism and allow Him to edit us.

Investigate my life, O God, 

find out everything about me; 

cross-examine and test me, 

get a clear picture of what I'm about;

see for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—

then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Psalm 139: 23-24 // the Message