Honesty is the Best Policy

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We always think of lying in terms of saying something that is not true… But sometimes, avoiding being honest, manipulating the truth, not saying enough, or just not saying anything is a form of a lie. Yes there is a time and a place to keep your mouth shut… but other times, its time to speak up. If you are in the middle of processing through something and it’s better to keep working through it before you say anything… you can say “I need more time”.  If you are going to speak out of a reaction rather than a response, maybe think about counting to 10…  But the worst thing you could do is bottle it all up, let it ruminate, let it turn into bitterness, and let it EXPLODE a few days later.  Be honest with yourself, be honest with others, be honest with the Lord.  Don’t keep it all in. We weren’t created to figure this life out by ourselves.  Even in the context of prayer, ask for help. Yes the Lord already knows what we are going to talk about. But still ask, still pray, still be open.  The Lord still wants the honesty, the worship, and our awareness.  We can’t hide anything from him.  But we still try.  So why not be real with ourselves and be honest with God.  He knows exactly what we are thinking, exactly what we are going through, and exactly how it ends.  In terms of relationships, sometimes being honest hurts a little bit at first, but it always ends up better in the end.  When something is brought up weeks later it comes as a shock to the person on the receiving end. Sometimes even a shock to yourself to realize you have been holding it all in for so long. Certain situations, there may be a time and a place to let things stay in as you process through them.  Other situations, you may just need to hold in whatever exaggerated emotion you are feeling because it may be an overreaction.

But when you can be honest, do it.  Let yourself work through whatever it is that is going on in your mind and heart.  Let others in to what is going on with you so that they can be a part of it and be involved in your life. And on an even greater level, Let God be God.  Let him into everything so that he can be in control and in return be glorified.

Now don’t take this and go call ten friends and tell them you are upset with them.  Start by changing the honesty in your heart and be honest with yourself.  Start bringing honesty into your life on a more regular basis.  Just as little white lies create habits and turn into big lies… honesty can work the same way. Be honest, and it needs to be step by step, you need to start somewhere. Wouldn’t you want to be described as an honest and genuine person?  Well… start today!

Think about a time that was hard to be honest, but you did it anyway?                                  How did it turn out?
Think about a situation you are in today where you could be a little more honest.         How can you do that?