I’ll never forget one family lake trip years ago. It was a hot day and we were all overly hungry and worn out from being in the sun. My three year old nephew, Hayden, was feeling the effects of both hunger and exhaustion, and became bit grouchy when we had to stop to get gas before returning to the dock. We maneuvered the boat into the gas station, and before we knew it, Hayden took the keys out of the engine of the boat and threw them in the lake. Luckily, like all boaters should, my dad had attached a key ring floaty to the keys so they didn’t sink in a worst case scenario. When my Dad saw they keys floating alongside the boat, he turned to my nephew and said, “Did you throw those into the water?” As is nothing happened, Hayden cut his eyes as he said in a slow southern accent, “Luke did it.” My brother, also known as Uncle Luke, was thrown under the bus (or the boat in this case) by my nephew’s dishonesty.
Although this memory has become a favorite story to retell, I am always amazed at our natural inclination to be dishonest. It’s wired into us through the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. We lie when we have done something wrong; We lie when we don’t want to hurt someone; we lie because we’re ashamed of the truth; and sadly sometimes we lie just because its easier. In Proverbs 12:22 it says “the Lord detests lying lips.” Some translations say that lying is an abomination (a disgusting thing) to the Lord. In case you didn’t catch that, its not just something he just doesn’t like, but it disgusts him.
Most people prefer honesty. We hope that our friends, family, salesman, and strangers will be truthful with us. Yet all the time we ourselves throw around white lies and half truths. We prefer honesty, but we can still stomach dishonesty in some situations. The Lord, on the other hand, doesn’t just have a preference for honesty; he has a standard for honesty.
We will undoubtedly miss the mark. Many times when I have lied in the past, I felt as if I had thrown my boat keys into the lake and sat dumbfounded, maybe even blaming someone else. Fortunately, we can trust that our Heavenly Father attaches a floaty to our keys so they don’t sink. The process of getting the keys out of the water isn’t always pleasant or easy, but we can rely on the truth from His Word that we’ll never be stranded, keyless on the water.
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Reflection:
- What areas of your life do you have the hardest time being honest?
- How does the bible say to handle a situation in which we have been dishonest?
- Look at passages that talk about the Lord’s honesty and incapability to lie. What do you learn about His truthfulness?
- How can you hold yourself accountable with even “white lies” that can explode?
- How have you seen lies ruin things in your life (relationships, work environment, your reputation)?
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Prayer:
Father, the psalmist asks that the words of his mouth be pleasing in your sight. Surely we can see that lies are not. Please fill me with your Spirit and allow nothing but truth to flow from my lips. We know you despise lies, and we desire to please you. I can only do that by your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen
My nephew at the lake, years later.
