The Bible says in John Chapter 8, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
This comment made by Jesus refers to the monumental truths of his teachings that are the basis of all Christianity, but doesn't any truth no matter how great or small allow you to be free.
In being truthful you are free from worrying about being caught, free from covering up lie after lie, free from telling the wrong lie or forgetting the lie you already told. Yet so many people prefer to lie or cover up things rather than tell the truth.
The virtue of honesty has been on my mind a lot lately because of some things that have happened at Arica's work. Rules were broken. Serious rules. The powers that be tried to cover up the mistakes, keeping them from parents. When the truth got out, and it always does, workers quit, parents pulled their children, and all manner of hell broke loose.
In the end people were more upset about the cover up than the actual wrong doing. Being dishonest about the situation made the proverbial mountain out of a little mole hill. It seems some people will never understand that being honest and up front with others is the only way to live.
Not too long ago a Pastor remarked during a conversation we were having that, "When you live in the truth there is nowhere else to go."
After dissecting the comment for a moment I realized it was truly genius. If you live in the truth you don't have to hide. You don't have to change courses or stories to keep the peace. You don't have to think about what you said or will say next. In the light of the truth their are no dark shadows where things can hide. You don't have to worry about anything like that. You only have to live in the truth. It's a simple fool proof plan.
It's been a long time since I went off on one of my philosophical rants about how a certain trait or virtue is important for me to instill in Braden. It's way over due. Every day as I evaluate the failures in my life I think about how to keep Braden from following in my foot steps. Certainly that begins by changing my habits so that he has a good role model to follow.
In this instance it was actually the misdeeds of others that made me think. Even if it's another person's nightmare there is no reason I can't use it as a reminder for how to raise my son. I know Arica values honesty above almost anything as well. So between the two of us I am certain that we'll bring Braden up to know that when he walks in the truth everything else will take care of itself.
6 comments:
Well said, my friend..
There are lessons to be learn anywhere in life whether it is something that you did or someone else. It can be a bitter pill to swallow to admit you did something wrong/stupid/shameful, but in the end it is always the best way to go. There have been many occasions where I've chosen to not be totally truthful and it has always backfired on me. As I've gotten older I've learned the pain from being honest fades quicker than having a situation linger. I hope this is a lesson our children can learn sooner than later.
I WAS going to say this post STUNK. But that would be a lie. Then I would have to cover it up with another lie. SO, I'm just going to tell the truth and say that it was a great post. I enjoyed it.
It's so easy sometimes to lose sight of the things we value through all the busy hustle and bustle of every day life. Sometimes it takes an event like this to remind us and set us back on the path we want to be on.
I completely agree with you, and honesty is something I also hope to instill in Ethan. I think the only way to do that is through example.
great post...and so tru...go figure...smiles. having nothing to hide feels a whole lot better than the other...
It's always been the policy in our house that honesty is the most important policy. If a kid does something wrong, 'fessing up is the best option - discipline is far harsher for the lie than for the crime, if admitted.
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