Lying and Honesty

The Christian Bible teaches us that we should be honest and that we should not lie.  People often lie to protect someone or themselves, but when the lie is discovered, things always become more difficult.  Sometimes people lie because they are ashamed, they feel trapped, or they believe that admitting to the truth will cause them rejection and more hurt.  I know it is difficult to tell the truth sometimes, but we must make ourselves do it.  The initial hurt of a truth may be difficult to deal with, and it may cause tension, but it also builds trust and accountability.

Before anyone tells me anything, I need to commit to be patient with them.  If someone tells me a truth (even if that truth hurts my feelings), I will respect the person for doing so.  I will then need to be patient with that person, and continue to love and care for the individual.  I want to encourage you now to commit to being patient with others, being honest with them, and to commit to loving and caring for people even when they hurt you.

If a person continually hurts you (verbally), you do not need to take the abuse.  I would encourage you, in this kind of a situation, to forgive the person, but then put yourself in a position that will no longer allow you to be hurt by him or her.  Sometimes this means ending a friendship or backing off from it. This does not mean that you can no longer care about that person, but it does mean that you will have to put up some boundaries.

Two Scripture verses about this issue are: Exodus 20: 16 and Proverbs 13:5.