Have you ever told a lie? I know I have. I admit it.
I believe we all have.
There are various ways of classifying lies; by their consequences, by the importance of their subject matters, by their speakers motives, and by the nature and context of what is being said.
People can lie to two kinds of audiences; other people or themselves and can lie about two kinds of things: facts ( or what they believe to be facts) and their values.
What are values?
How we want to be, what we want to stand for, and how we want to relate to the world around us.
Values are attributes to the person you want to become.
Liars can be classified in 4 different groups;
Deceitful liars- those who lie to others about facts. We have all done this. Most research suggests that children develop the ability to lie at about age three. By age five, almost all children can (and will) lie to avoid punishment or chores—and a minority will sporadically tell prosocial lies. From ages seven to eleven, they begin to reliably lie to protect other people or to make them feel better—and they’ll start to consider prosocial lies to be justified. They’re not just telling white lies to please adults. The research to date suggests that they are motivated by strong feelings of empathy and compassion.
Duplicitous liars-those who lie to others about their values. They say they are committed to being someone or doing something but their actions prove otherwise.
Delusional liars- those who lie to themselves about facts. In his Novel, The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky writes, "Above all don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lies comes to the point where he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and others."
Demoralized Liars- those who lie to themselves about their values. If you do this, you will lose your integrity. Integrity is our foundation, it goes where we go. When your lie to yourself, your foundation will crack. This impacts not just your life but others too. It is hard to respect someone who does not respect themselves.
And why not lie? Why not twist and distort things to obtain a small gain, or smooth things over, or to keep the peace, or to avoid hurt? Reality is hard, why not turn away?
The answer is simple. Things fall apart.
What worked yesterday will not necessarily work today.
First, a little lie, then several little lies to prop it up. Sometimes, the lies seem to succeed. After that comes the feeling of arrogance and superiority that inevitably accompany the production of successful lies. You think you are smarter than others.
So you may lie again.
Eventually, things fall apart. People discover you lied.
Then a sickening feeling arises when the falsehood fails to produce the results intended. Guilt sets in. After that distorted thinking sets in to avoid the shame those lies produce.
Everything becomes frustration and disappointment. Your credibility is destroyed.
A lie is connected to everything else. It affects the world around you. It is best considered live and growing. When the lie gets big enough the whole world spoils.
No wonder God commanded that we should not lie.
Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Commandment #8
If you pay attention too what you do and say, you can learn to feel a state of internal division and weakness when you are misbehaving and misspeaking. It's a sensation, not a thought.
You will sense and know when you are lying.
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?
Mark: 36-37 NIV
Tell the Truth
The only people who get mad at you for speaking the truth are the ones living a lie.
Telling the truth brings the most habitual reality into being. Truth feeds and clothes the poor and makes nations wealthy and safe.
Truth is the inexhaustible natural resource.
Truth is the light in this darkness.
See the truth, tell the truth.
It will keep your soul from withering and dying while you encounter life.
If your life is not what it could be, try telling the truth. If you feel weak and rejected and desperate, and confused, try telling the truth.
The truth will set you free.
In Heaven, everyone speaks the truth. That is what makes it Heaven.