Honestly

Honestly, there is a lot to be said about honesty. Much of the topic is usually common sense, but occasionally we may find ourselves approach a gray area in which bending the truth may appear beneficial or may help us to avoid hurting someone else. No matter how hard we may convince ourselves that we need to tell a white lie to get out of something, the damages are never worth doing so.

There’s smart difference among a small lie, choosing words wisely, or simply not volunteering certain information. This isn’t to mislead others into thinking that we have an opinion different than what we actually hold but it’s an exercise of applying tact to situations that could quickly become heated or tense.

If we are ever caught lying, then it’s not unforgiveable – it’s a good idea to also forgive others who do wrong to you. But, if you are caught lying twice, then your reputation and character are beginning to appear questionable. As the expression goes, “lightning doesn’t strike twice, but if it does, it will happen a third time.” Once you begin losing the trust of others, it takes quite a long time to earn it back.

Excuses don’t comfort those who are lied to, even if the excuses are to “protect” them. Most people would rather hear the truth than be lied to. If they’d rather hear lies because they hate the truth, then those are probably people you should avoid.

If we were to get away with lying, and no one ever found out about it, there is still our own conscious that will weigh in on us (at least it should). A heavy conscience will begin to flake away self-esteem and cause us to live with the lingering reminder that the lie could come up again. Living within a lie is a nightmare to worry about, no matter how small.

Most everyone will trust an honest person when the time comes for him or her to step up. This is especially so when the person has the courage to admit something they may have done wrong – something that can affect how his or her character looks. While there may be initial damage to expressing a fault, everyone makes mistakes and messes up - people are forgiven, time heals, and we move on with our lives. Honesty allows healing. Lies tend to be like slivers in us. They cause the wound to remain when we refuse to accept responsibility.

Being able to forgive others goes a long way into understanding how others can forgive you. Be honest with yourself and others, and many aspects of your life will become free to flourish.

For further related reading, please check out: Where Are We Going?