Lesson 20: Honesty Is Worth It!
If I were to ask people if they think lying is wrong, my prediction is that majority of people would say it is. Even though people agree that telling lies is not okay, my other prediction is that most people do lie, and they lie often. I’ve heard people say that it is not okay to lie about big stuff, but it is okay to tell a small, white lie.
I definitely used to be “people” that I mentioned in the first paragraph. I would have never considered myself a liar per say, but I’ve definitely let a few small lies slip when I didn’t want to deal with the uncomfortableness of telling the truth. When I didn’t want to look bad for being late, I would make up a story about traffic or a random accident when the truth is that I didn’t get out of bed on time and I was just running late. Or once when I didn’t complete an assignment on time, I made up an excuse that I “lost” the document, when really I just procrastinated and would not complete the assignment on time.
Then one day I was in church and my pastor said something that really challenged me. He said, “When you lie you are deciding for the person what they can handle.” I had never thought about it this way. I think it convicted me because I don’t like when other people assume what I can and cannot handle and this made me realize I was doing the same thing. I also know that it really sucks to be lied to, because the truth almost always comes out! From this moment I made a promise to myself that I would do better.
Being an honest person goes hand in hand with being a person of integrity. I cannot say that it has been easy, but it has been worth it. It has freed me up to not have to keep track of my lies. It has deepened my relationships. People usually appreciate the truth even when it hurts. Showing up authentically has also allowed me to try to be an overall better person. I try not to procrastinate any more. I have been more on time to things now than I ever have in the past. I have done what is morally right so I don’t even have to put myself in a situation to try to save face.
I hope my vulnerability here will challenge you to be a person of integrity and to be honest with the people around you, even when it’s hard!
Love y’all!
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