Guys like Lance Armstrong and Pete Rose make themselves easy targets. They are men who had great careers, great reputations, and after years and years of vehement denials of wrong-doing, they finally admitted they were lying.
This isn’t my attempt to “pile on,” plenty of that has already taken place on TV, radio, and the Internet. Rather, this is just a brief reminder of how harmful “lying” can be.
First of all, we’ve all been guilty of lying. Before we cluck our tongues and act incredulous, maybe we all need to be reminded that we have all lied. It may have been to make us look better than we are, to keep from getting in trouble, or to spare or hurt another person’s feelings, but we have all lied. Maybe our lies don’t go on as long as theirs did, but then again, maybe ours have a longer life than theirs. My point is, don’t act like you can’t understand, because you can. You’ve done it, yourself.
Second, lying is progressive. When one starts down the path of lying, he soon finds himself lying again and again; oftentimes, lying merely to cover his own lies. Before long, the lies begin to accumulate and create an oppressive weight to bear up under. Friends, honesty is so liberating. You don’t have to remember anything. You don’t have to think about covering yourself, keeping your story straight, remembering to whom you told what. You just tell the truth, and the fear of being “outed” is gone.
Third, lying is destructive. Lying destroys trust. It weakens reputations. It damages relationships. And it erodes one’s integrity. Not only that, the Lord is very clear that it will keep one out of Heaven (Revelation 21:8). Lying may be common, but it is not acceptable.
Can I challenge you to a life of honesty? Put away lying and deceit. Give up manipulating the truth by your sophistry? Instead, embrace the freedom of telling the truth. Begin today being more honest with your spouse, your children, your parents, your boss, your co-workers, and your classmates.
God always knows best. Not only is honesty the right thing to do, it pays dividends. Through honesty, one develops self-respect, the respect of others, trust, and integrity. Give honesty a try. You’ll be glad you did. Honest!