Why only hearing half the story is truly bad news

David Shepherd  |  Comment
Date posted:  26 Feb 2025
Share Add       
Why only hearing half the story is truly bad news

My friend Jim, a small business owner, called me in a state of complete despair. He told me that he had heard terrible news about the UK economy and was ready to ‘throw in the towel’.

In the ‘catch-up’ TV link that he sent to me, the newscaster explained: ‘for the average bad debt for UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is £16,641, which is a 61% increase from 2022. Also, around a third of SMEs have debt levels more than ten times their cash balances.’

Given Jim’s history of struggling with business debt, his response to that news was completely understandable. However, the fact that the statement began with the preposition ‘for’ suggested to me that he wasn’t hearing the whole story.

Share
< Previous article| Comment| Next article >
Read more articles by David Shepherd >>
Features
Lessons from the 'Rich Fool'

Lessons from the 'Rich Fool'

It was at the height of Jesus’ ministry that a man asked Him to arbitrate a family dispute over inheritance. …

Comment
Why reputation is prioritised over protecting victims

Why reputation is prioritised over protecting victims

In the four years of writing for Evangelicals Now, the published responses to my articles have been few and far …

Need to advertise?

We can help you reach Christians across the country.

Find out more

Subscribe

Enjoy our monthly paper and full online access

Find out more