Honesty; The Best Policy

Honesty is hard! So hard that I find many people avoiding it all together. I'm not saying they have been dishonest with me. I can't be sure. I do know this, that honesty is a must for those who choose to follow Christ.

I can think of many cliches regarding honesty and many of them seem negative. "Can I be honest with you?" "To be honest, I..." "Let me be brutally honest," Brutally Honest? Does honesty have to be brutal?

I guess honesty can be brutal to those who prefer the world of their own ideals to the truth that is staring them in the face. Take it from a recovering idealist; Truth is better than the seduction of a false reality. But I don't think honesty needs to be "brutal." It's not something that needs to brings us fear.

Jesus declared himself to be "the TRUTH, the way and the life" and No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. In order to "come to the Father" we must face the truth of who Jesus says He is and who He says we are. It is impossible to come to God with out coming through Jesus, Who is truth.

Honesty is good. And I don't simple mean being honest by telling the truth to others. It is imperative for us to be honest with ourselves. Our failings, our brokenness, our inadequacies take on a transformational value when we are honest about them. For instance, if we treat failure with denial, we are doomed to fail again. On the other hand, if we are honest about our failure, we will seek help and advice and turn that failure into an opportunity for growth. Same goes for our brokenness and inadequacy. Healing and Courage will come from truth and honesty. Faking it, will only lead to more pain and more fear.

My prayer for "Live Like You Were Dying" is that we as a the body at FSBC will be honest to God about who we are and where we can improve.

Father help me be honest with myself about the kind of husband, father, son, employee, leader, steward I have been. Help me be honest about how I have spoken to others so that I can Speak Sweeter. Spirit, lead me to a place where I can be honest about the feebleness of my attempts to "love" others and help me to love deeper with Jesus' love. Where I have chosen to hold on to hurt and anger and bitterness, help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. I don't want to wait until my life is nearly over to do the things I ought to. Lord, I realize I'm asking for a blessing I don't deserve. Please grant me the blessing to live a transformed life.