Caught in a web of deceit

The Lord detests lying lips,
    but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Proverbs 12:22 NIV 

One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only 9 lives.

Mark Twainstriking

How many times have my hiking friends heard me say any of the following?  We’re almost there. Just up this last hill. It levels out after this stretch. We don’t have much further to go. It’s all downhill from here. It’s only this one little tough stretch. The stream crossing should be easy. This mountain lake water is really refreshing!

And how many times have I said the following to myself, in the privacy of my own thoughts….  I’ll start eating right tomorrow. I’ll only have a single serving of dessert. I’ll take a day off next week. I can rest all summer long. I’ll mop my floors tomorrow. And (this is the saddest one), I’ll spend more time with God soon.

Lies are tricky things. Though little “white lies” seem relatively harmless, lies always have consequences. Yes, bigger lies involved in relationships to others can wreak extremely detrimental havoc on multiple lives; these lies can be as convoluted as the odd tree shapes pictured, and rarely do those convoluted stories stay hidden over time. Yet untruths, dishonesty, or deceit are all lies that have effects.

Scripture admonishes us not to lie because purposeful deceit is wrong. AND God doesn’t say, “Those big lies are really bad but little lies or tweaking the truth a bit is okay.” God knows that all lies are harmful to ourselves and others. Maybe some, like my mostly unintentional little trail lies, don’t have big consequences, but they are still wrong. Lies to myself often do have costs…as poor choices result in undesirable health issues as I carelessly ignore proper care for God’s gift to me of a reasonably healthy body.

So, be careful as you walk through life to avoid all lies. To others. To yourself. Big ones. Small ones. Walk the path of honesty and openness and let your words be trustworthy.