This past Wednesday I read a New York Times article about a scientific study on lying. It said, “We’ve all lied once in a while to spare someone’s feelings, but a new study looks at how fibbing could turn into serial dishonesty. The findings suggested that an area of the brain associated with emotional responses could become desensitized to lying.”
Photo by Kevin Spencer
I was not a bit surprised. In dealing with people going through relationship struggles, lying is often a part of the problem. A lack of honesty has caused a breech of trust, a break in the relationship, and some deep pain. As I help people through these matters, it’s not unusual to find those who don’t consider their actions to be “lying.” Or, even if they admit they’ve lied, they don’t consider it to be a big deal. I have to guide them to recognize that no matter what they call their behavior or how serious they think it is, it IS a serious matter that has hurt others.
Jesus says in John 8:44 that the devil, “is a liar and the father of lies.” The devil knows the destructive power of lying. He knows it has tremendous power to break up the relationships that God intended for good between people. It’s important for us to recognize ALL lying as evil. Even little “white lies” can quickly destroy the trust in a relationship. And, as the recent study shows, it’s very easy to slide down the slope from “little lies” to a pattern of lying that seems innocent enough in our sinful minds.
Take good care of the gifts you have in your relationships with others. Don’t let the devil destroy these good gifts with the seed of deceit. Stop ALL lying in its tracks by recognizing it, confessing it, absolving it and turning away from it. The truth can sometimes be difficult, but it will set you free. After all, the truth draws our hearts to The Truth, Jesus Christ, and His forgiving love for us. That true love overcomes all lies and draws us together in beautiful relationships with Him and everyone else in our life.