Do you tell lies? Do you call them fibs or little white lies, or tricking? It really doesn’t matter what we call them, ultimately they are LIES. Lies come in many forms, but they are still LIES. Have you ever thought about the lies (fibs or whatever you want to call them) you tell? Have you ever thought that your children, grandchildren, nieces, cousins, nephews are listening to every word? Do you think people can’t tell when you are lying and when you are telling the truth? Trust me they can. Do you lie to get what you want? Do you lie to keep out of trouble? (That one makes no sense, because you are getting yourself into MORE trouble.) When you lie, it really only hurts YOU. You really are lying to YOURSELF. No one else. You are the only ONE it hurts. People lose trust AND respect for you. Have you ever thought about that? One lie will lead to another because you have to lie to hide that lie, and then you will have to lie to cover up that lie, and so forth, then before you know it, you are really in deep. That is really quite sad. Think about that!
We all know the fictional story of the little boy that when he would tell lies, a feature on his face would grow longer, and longer, and LONGER. How long would our facial feature be? Have you ever thought about that? Walking through life, everyone would know that we were not trustworthy.
Let’s do an exercise. Get a notebook, something to write with and go somewhere quiet where you can sit and think. On a clean sheet of paper, write down the first lie that you have told today, then the second, and continue until you have written down all the lies you have told today. Are you proud of yourself? Did you realize that you had told that many lies? Even one lie is too many.
I know family members that have lost there jobs for telling a “little white lie”. They lost their job. Think about that sentence for a moment. I know people who have walked away from marriages because they were lied to. Think about that sentence! I know people who have quit speaking to family members because they were lied to. Think about that sentence.
Do you lie to your children, then get mad at them when they lie back to you? They really do hear what you say, and see what you do.
Has lying become a way of life? Are you a habitual liar? Almost everything OR everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie? Think about that!
Do you keep secrets from your spouse or significant other? Yes that is a form of lying.
Do you deceive people? Are you dishonest? Yes, these are both forms of lying. Think about that for a moment!
Do you try to justify what you are saying or doing?
Yes, people can tell when you are lying. Does this shock you? It shouldn’t. You are not as clever as you think you are. Think about that sentence! LYING always comes back to bite you. You really don’t get away with it.
I challenge each of you to try the exercise and then try to tell the truth for 1 hour at a time. If you fail, write the lie down, and start again. Become a better person. Be the person you want to be and not the one that tells the lies. EVERYONE is watching you. You may have to apologize for lies you have told. Do it! Start changing your ways now. Its a good time to change.
Telling the truth is so invigorating AND you won’t have to keep track of all the lies.