Has my broken heart made me dishonest?

June 16, 2014: Has my broken heart made me dishonest? Please "Share" this new Precious Prodigal post: http://bit.ly/1lsOmVa

Ephesians 4:25 “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour…”

I wrote last week about a silly hummingbird and her unwillingness to let go of a damaged feeder. The thing about studying the Scriptures and then writing about them is that the Lord often uses that process to show writers where they need to grow in their own lives. So I wasn’t surprised when the Holy Spirit brought to mind some things I need to let go of and some things I need to hold fast.

One of the first things that came to mind is that I need to let go of lying. I don’t go around telling whoppers…those fish stories that all of us know are total fabrications. I also don’t try to exaggerate my accomplishments or spread false gossip about others. I don’t do any of those things, and you probably don’t either. No, the kind of lying I’m talking about is much more subtle, and it often includes lying to ourselves as well as to everyone else.

Tracey does a wonderful job of heading up our ladies’ ministry. Although she has many leadership traits, the one that impresses me most is her authenticity. She spoke to our group one Friday night about her battle with and ultimate victory over leukemia. I thought she would say God had met every need, that she learned many things in that journey, and that it caused her faith to grow. All true, but that isn’t even close to what she said.

As she recounted that year for us, she told us how she had struggled physically, emotionally and, yes, spiritually. Then she went on to tell us she still isn’t “all the way back.” When she was finished, there was not a dry eye in the room. But what was even more powerful than Tracey’s story was that some of the other ladies began to get honest about their own struggles. Not only is honesty important for us, it is also contagious.

I thought of that recently when someone at church asked me how I was doing. My initial response was, “Oh, I’m doing great.” Then I stopped myself and said, “You know what…that’s not true. The truth is I’m struggling today, and I need your prayers.” I didn’t need to puke out every single detail of that struggle. Other people didn’t need to hear it, and I didn’t need to rehash it. I only needed to stop pretending things were ok…even wonderful…when they were not.

So the first thing I need to let go of is lying to myself and to others. People in recovery say, “You’re only as sick as your secrets,” and there’s a lot of truth in that statement. Lying to ourselves and to others about what’s going on in our lives for sure isn’t going to help us grow. Nor is it helping anyone else.

Some of us are even lying to protect our prodigals, covering up what they have done or keeping it a secret from the rest of the family. We’ve paid their fines, pleaded with the judge, and told others and ourselves that they are doing better. That prodigal isn’t the only one who struggles with denial, and we aren’t helping them or ourselves if we buy into the lies.

Challenge for Today: Can you, just for today, get honest with yourself and others? Can you let go of lying?