... And nothing but the truth!
The past month I have repeatedly crossed paths with people telling lies or half-truths. You know, the kind where they tell part of something that's true, and maybe it goes with the story they are telling, but may be it's not related in any way at all. Or maybe part of what they said happened, but they have exaggerated it to make themselves look better or others look incompetent.
Anyone who knows me, knows that this does not settle well with me. Lies and stealing are my two bugga-boos! Yep, they just make me crazy mad because they are two things I absolutely positively just do not understand!
I'm not talking about little white lies like telling a co-worker, "Oh what a cute new hair cut" when really you don't like it. While I would choose not to say anything at all, I am (ironically) okay with things like this because I believe it builds others up. And building others up is always good!
It's the misrepresentation of ones self or others that absolutely drives me batty, and that is exactly what I have been running across lately. Who knew that would be the case with adults. It was so bad with one adult I knew, I un-friended them on Facebook. (I feel like a 13 year old girl writing that out, but it's the truth!) I could no longer take the half truths or the blatant misinformation they spewed from their lips. It was becoming increasingly hard not to call them out on this so I chose to just "delete". (Yes, big step for me... I'm a girl who does not usually hesitate to confront!)
I think the worst offenders of this are moms. In our constant effort to compete with one another it seems we fall into two extremes. The mom's who want to appear as if they are on top of their game 110% of the time and the mom's who try want to appear as if they are a hot mess. Both types are rather trendy right now! And if we are all being honest, we probably fall somewhere in between that mix on any given day (or from hour to hour). I know I do, and if we are friends on Facebook you watch that crazy cycle of our lives play out! I guess I just find it really upsetting that as adults, we are struggling with honesty. What is so wrong with being who we are and putting that out there for the world to see?
God worked so hard on each and every one of us! When we spread untruths, whether about ourselves or others, we are not glorifying His handiwork. We are not building each other up. We are breaking down the very foundation upon which we stand! We are all His children, we are all part of the same community. We owe it to ourselves to work, share, and encourage in a way that is honest and pure!
The
other day, my nine year old son and I were having a conversation about
someone who was misrepresenting (and lying about) some things. He said
to me, "She just says that stuff so people will like her." Wow! Slap
in the face! He was right! It is so easy to get wrapped up in how people view us that we forget to worry about how we view ourselves, and more important, how God is viewing us!
The truth is not always easy! We all struggle with it from time to time. And sometimes the truth makes us look really bad. But I've found it's always easier to lay your head down at night when you have not misrepresented yourself or others.
"Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight." -Proverbs 12:22
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