the truth about lyingthe truth about lyingPSALM 12:2
Liar. What an ugly word. One immediately wants to shrink away from it, to say, “No! I don’t lie!” Well, that in itself is a lie. No one goes their whole life without telling a single lie. Me included, naturally. People want to cover up their faults, to say that they are good and perfect. Others merely want to please people by telling a “little white lie.” I’ll be blunt: I’ve told people that their new dress looks wonderful when it really doesn’t. I’m guilty, just as everyone else is. We lie to our friends, our family, our neighbors. I think that we lie most to our parents; it’s part of being a teenager, of wanting free reign. We don’t want to get into trouble, and really, who would? And yet, hopefully, there is something to stop us in our tracks and to force us to tell the truth: guilt. Oh yes, that ever-so-lovely little reminder that we’re doing something wrong. Personally, I’m afflicted by guilt a lot. And honestly: It’s annoying. I want to be able to get away with these things, and yet that constant reminder that I’m doing wrong is always there. God despises lying. He wants us to be truthful, to honor our mothers and fathers (and I’m sure not being honest with them isn’t exactly honoring). So, perhaps, next time something comes up that we are tempted to lie about, we should pause and remember that it is a sin. And also, not having to carry around a lot of guilt is a good thing too.
Kelsie Nygren, 15, Covenant Christian Academy, El Paso, TX
Father, I hate feeling guilty, feeling like I’ve let
You down. But please help me to remember that
awful feeling so that the next time I’m tempted to lie,
I’ll make the better choice and tell the truth.