But all of us who are Christians...reflect like mirrors the glory of the Lord."
~(2 Corinthians 3:18)
Wow, it has been a busy year since I last posted. So last night I went to Encounters Singles at PCC. After fellowship time we started a lesson about lies and how it affects relationships. We saw a clip from a case on Judge Judy and discuss about the lies told by the defendant and how it damaged the relationship with his ex-girlfriend. By the way, she also did some wrong things too in their relationship. We saw her being the parent while her ex-boyfriend being the man-child. When you enable someone's bad behavior, you are at fault too.
Are white lies okay? To me, it's not. Though I have told them since it's the norm of our society. As one friend told me, "It's the way it is. White lies can prevent hurt feelings." Actually, I have reflected that for over 10 years I haven't told a white lie to fellow Christians. When they are right with God and I am too, it's too difficult to lie of any kind. If they are down, I find the truth to encourage. As for my non-Christian friends I'm slowly progressively on using less white lies. Hopefully with time, I won't have to say any white lies anymore. With Jesus, he is helping me with that. As a truly honest person, I don't like any lies of any form. As I shared the verse above, I'm a reflection of God's truth and my honesty glorifies him. It does help that I can find truth that encourages my family and friends. It's hard work but worth it. Honesty brings in trust which makes good relationships flourish.
How about lie of omission? It depends on the situation. When you withhold the truth, you create a lie. Just say it. If the other person loves you, they will accept it. Therefore, say the truth out of love, not in a harsh and mean way. On the other hand, there are situations when you can't share the truth since it's not your place to say it. If you do, you become a busybody. Just pray for the person who may struggle in a relationship with another person so that the truth will come out and they will have a better relationship.
In conclusion, when we lie, we damage relationships with others and God. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit living in us and each time we do steps to hurt ourselves, others and God, we get a dissonance inside of us. By living life truthfully and honestly, we build trust and have a good relationship with others and God. Last night we discuss about how God sees lies by using Bible verses. However, I just want to focus on truth and here is a good verse on how being honesty is the best policy. "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another" (Ephesians 4:24).
Are white lies okay? To me, it's not. Though I have told them since it's the norm of our society. As one friend told me, "It's the way it is. White lies can prevent hurt feelings." Actually, I have reflected that for over 10 years I haven't told a white lie to fellow Christians. When they are right with God and I am too, it's too difficult to lie of any kind. If they are down, I find the truth to encourage. As for my non-Christian friends I'm slowly progressively on using less white lies. Hopefully with time, I won't have to say any white lies anymore. With Jesus, he is helping me with that. As a truly honest person, I don't like any lies of any form. As I shared the verse above, I'm a reflection of God's truth and my honesty glorifies him. It does help that I can find truth that encourages my family and friends. It's hard work but worth it. Honesty brings in trust which makes good relationships flourish.
How about lie of omission? It depends on the situation. When you withhold the truth, you create a lie. Just say it. If the other person loves you, they will accept it. Therefore, say the truth out of love, not in a harsh and mean way. On the other hand, there are situations when you can't share the truth since it's not your place to say it. If you do, you become a busybody. Just pray for the person who may struggle in a relationship with another person so that the truth will come out and they will have a better relationship.
In conclusion, when we lie, we damage relationships with others and God. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit living in us and each time we do steps to hurt ourselves, others and God, we get a dissonance inside of us. By living life truthfully and honestly, we build trust and have a good relationship with others and God. Last night we discuss about how God sees lies by using Bible verses. However, I just want to focus on truth and here is a good verse on how being honesty is the best policy. "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another" (Ephesians 4:24).