A couple weeks ago, I mentioned Solomon’s obvious (but important) reminder about truth-tellers vs lying. Along the same lines, here’s another important thought from the book of Proverbs…
Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
(Proverbs 12:22)
Lying is easy. Well, to be clear, keeping up with a lie is sometimes a ton of work, but just telling that initial lie is no big deal. Caught in a pickle? Just lie, and be really brazen and bold about it, too, that way the person you’re lying to will be too modest and kind to challenge you.
Lying is easy, but it is considered “abomination” to the Lord. It is a thing God despises. On the other hand, telling the truth is hard. I suppose, in a sense, telling the truth is very easy, in that you don’t have to remember your made-up version of events every time someone asks you what happened. When it comes to the consequences you might have to face, telling the truth is hard, but it is a delight to the Lord.
Isn’t that funny: It’s easy to make up a lie, but keeping a lie going afterward is difficult. On the other hand, telling the truth and ripping off that bandaid is often, initially, hard, but after you do, you feel a lot better, and you can move forward without that weight on your shoulders. Lies start off easy and end up hard. The truth starts off hard and gets easier over time. Lying is for the short-sighted, the impatient, the cheaters. Truth-telling is for people with perspective, patience, and integrity.
~Matthew