Truth or Lie

I have always had a tough time with people who blatantly lie. Truth is a fundamental fabric to character. Lies and deceit are direct assaults upon this fundamental fabric. People who lie are impossible to trust because they don’t have a standard that they cling to or depend upon. They will move people and situations to improve their life at the expense of whoever or whatever is in their way. It is my goal to build relationships upon truth. I don’t want to mislead or mistreat anyone. I also can’t be “best friends” with everyone I meet, but I can treat them with respect and honor as a child of God – human being. This is not to say that there aren’t consequences for lying. There are people in prison mainly because they lied. There are people who have been fired from very good and gainful employment because they lied. I’m thankful that the Lord continues to build into me. I have lied in the past and I’ve been forgiven. Lies cause me stress and inner struggle. I have confessed when I’ve lied and I’ve asked for forgiveness. I don’t lie frequently. The older I get the more futile I realize lying or deceit can be. Truth makes it way out of lies and deceit. Check this out…

¹ I call on the Lord in my distress,
    and he answers me.
² Save me, Lord,
    from lying lips
    and from deceitful tongues. (Psalm 120:1-2 NIV)

I am a man of truth. I have seen the counterfeit nature of a lie and I despise lying. Sometimes it’s hard to speak truth, but it’s better to be honest every single time than to lie. I do believe that the truth needs to be accompanied by grace and love. If the truth is all by itself, it can be excruciatingly painful. It doesn’t have to always be harsh or hateful. Truth needs to be soaked and dripping in love where applicable. Sometimes, truth is abstract and simple. Sometimes, truth involves relationships that are life-long and really challenging.  I would rather have someone tell me the truth 100% of the time than to lie at any level. I’m a grown up and I can handle the truth as hard as it may seem. If I’m given a lie, I will work with it like it’s true until proven otherwise. I so wish that there was a “truth serum” that we could all drink with our breakfast that would cause us to speak truth. I thought about the movie starring Jim Carrey called “Liar Liar” that was released in 1997.

I want to continue to walk in truth. I want to continually speak the truth. I want the words of my mouth to always be honest, honorable and truthful. I don’t want to mislead, mistreat or misuse the truth in any way.  I want my word to mean something every day. I want the Lord’s help in guarding my tongue and my choices today.

Pressing On!

Dwayne