Well... I wish I knew.
I'm not perfect by any means and I know that I have lied or been dishonest by omission many times. But in general, I strive for honesty. And I greatly admire honesty in others. And I will have a hard time trusting someone that has deceived me. I value honestly greatly.
I think the truth is always the best. Even when it hurts. If my clothes look terrible on me and make me look like a Weeble, then I want someone to tell me. That's far less hurtful than letting me walk around like that. If someone has wronged me, I would rather them admit it so we can work through things than for them to lie to cover it up.
But sometimes a lie can be so much easier. Or so it seems. I think lies always end up very complicated. But in that moment... everything inside can scream "The only way out is a lie!"
Sometimes we lie to spare somebody's feelings. We lie to save our skin. Save our job. Save our family. I know people who lie for absolutely no reason at all. And they don't even seem to care too much about sounding credible.
And why do Christians lie? Because we aren't perfect. How I wish that the minute I gave my life to Christ that I automatically achieved perfection! How cool would that be?! But no. We still struggle with, and give in to, temptation. We should be giving in less than we did before becoming a Christian. We should be able to see progress in our lives. But perfection isn't going to happen in this body or on this earth.
I have no defense, though, for someone who lies. It is sin. The same is true when I lie. It is wrong. But we are supposed to forgive. Forgiving deceit can be very difficult, but it isn't impossible. And forgiving doesn't mean that we have to give that person our full trust. That is a consequence that must be faced and the person who lied will have to earn back that trust.
Excellent thoughts here.
ReplyDeleteHonest. :-)
Great post Kay!
ReplyDeleteVery well said!
ReplyDeleteI agree with it all. And I'm not lying!
ReplyDeleteWhen someone asks, "does this dress make me look fat?", you can say, "That dress looks great on you" (because the dress is pretty and would look great on a hanger) :) That is better than saying, Yes. I really think Jesus is the only one who never lied. Or told one of those little "white fibs". There is the truth and then there's the whole truth. Two different things entirely.
ReplyDeleteIf I ask someone if a dress makes me look fat, I am asking because I really want to know. I would hate to keep wearing it and look awful because they didn't tell me.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there is a big difference between saying, "Yes, you look like a blimp."
and
"You know, I think this dress doesn't do you justice."
or something like that.
I agree that Jesus is the only one who never lied, but still, I think there is never a good reason to lie.
The devil is the father of lies, I guess that means all of them.
Your mother did a good job teaching you to be honest. But sometimes the woman is fat no matter what she wears :)
ReplyDeleteOh, well, I wasn't thinking of it that way. I was thinking of it as the dress making her look fatter than she has to.
ReplyDeleteThe dress not being flattering.
For those concerned, this is not a family spat :) We're just "independent thinkers". ?
ReplyDeleteI'd rather know the truth up front rather than make a fool of myself chasing after a fantasy or speaking in public with broccoli in my teeth.
ReplyDelete