Why do we lie? I am honestly not sure, but I have a few guesses:
- To protect themselves or others
- To make themselves or others look good
- To avoid being humiliated or humiliating others
- To gain advantage
No matter how you look at it, lying is wrong. We are instructed by God not to lie:
Colossians 3:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.
There are several other verses about lying, but I thought this was the most relevant.
I bring this up because last night I found out that my wife was lying to me and has been for roughly 22 years. In the past 2 to 3 years I have caught her in 3 lies. Honestly, I could not tell you what the other lies were about, but I just remember that she had lied to me since almost day one
Communication in any relationship is key. If we are lying to one another, then we are not communicating very effectively and how can we trust what is coming out of any persons mouth. Take politicians for example, they will say something that resonates with one person and they will get that persons vote knowing that they will never be able to live up to what they said. That is lying no matter how you look at it and as a result most people after years of being exposed to this have become cynical and distrusting.
Do I always tell the truth? No! Sometimes I just choose not to answer or I may leave out some key facts which is also lying. You may be thinking what? Why is choosing not to answer or omission of facts considered lying? If someone asks your opinion and you choose not to answer, then you have something to say, but you do not because you are not wanting to hurt someones feelings. When asked something and you intentionally leave out all the facts, then you are doing so for deceptive reasons.
You have a choice in life, to tell the truth always or to lie at specific times for selfish reasons. Believe it or not, you can tell the truth without hurting someone if that is the only reason you are lying. For example, if your wife asks you if this looks good on her, then you can answer truthfully without hurting her feelings. You may think the “Little white lie” is acceptable, but isn’t this still lying? If you are dishonest in the little things, wont you be dishonest in the bigger things?
Luke 16:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
I pray that if you are lying at all, that you will take a minute to seriously think about this and reconsider.