Honesty - the best policy

Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.       Proverbs 28:18 (ESV)

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.               Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

Honesty is the best policy - I heard that phrase no less than 1000 times come out of my father's mouth growing up.  Honesty/truthfulness are essential to our character and integrity.

Sometimes being honesty is tricky.  Little white lies like saying you love some one's outfit or hair when truly you don't like it all slip at without thought.  Or how about accidentally telling the truth without realizing that someone else is hoping you won't. (Think childhood!)

I'm a terrible liar.  Always have been and so are my children.  My kids get a look on their face that shouts, "I'm fibbing," even though they may persist in their tall tale.  I can remember a year or two ago, Jay and I got so mad at them because no one would confess to spray painting red paint on the wall in the shed.  They had been asked to spray paint a farrowing crate and were to do it in the shed. What we didn't say was, "Hey, while you're at it, spray wherever you want."  Somehow, red spray paint magically appeared on the wall.  It isn't a huge deal, except that neither one of them would just admit to the truth.

It was so frustrating.  When you're going to get in trouble anyway, why not just tell the truth?  It's a tough theme to get through their heads sometimes.  We know something happened, just tell us and tell us the truth.  Ahh.  I don't expect it will get any easier the older they get.  And they're not chronic liars by any means, but every now and then...

Sometimes telling the truth is painful.  A few weeks ago a young man I know told the truth about something he participated in and was punished for it.  Regardless of the situation, he did the right thing by telling the truth.  I could go on and on about various aspects of the situation, but I won't because I don't necessarily know all the facts, and in the end that isn't what is important.  What I do know is this - that young man will be blessed in the future for his honesty.  God will reward him some day in some way for doing what was right in the middle of something messy.  And I'm guessing that although many will forget about that incident, he will not.

I would be lying (ha) if I said I had never told a lie (s), big and little.  It's not necessarily something I struggle with at this point in my life, nor do I really remember struggling with it much at all.  For the most part, honesty has been ingrained into my brain...by Godly influences, my parents, my conscience.

When in doubt - just spit it out...the truth, that is.