Writes the stoic Marcus Aurelius, "Don't do it, if it doesn't suit; don't say it, if it's not true." The truth has in itself a great value, on which depends the strength of family ties, the trust between partners in a business, the closeness between friends. In our age, full of corruption in all spheres, it seems that the truth, is something outdated or non-existent. We are in a world where lies flourish and the truth drowns. But what about the Christian, are we true, do we speak the truth?
The apostle Paul exhorts his readers to speak the truth with each other (Eph. 4:25) and not only this, but also think about the true (Philippians 4: 8), but honestly how much do we comply with this? We often find ourselves with the intention and with the fact to justify our lack of veracity under the "pious" excuse that they are white lies, that they do not hurt. We have all been there, and it is possible that as you read this, you remember some "white" lie told this day ... the problem with this justification is that although it is true that such lies are not so serious, they can have an effect " snowball ", little by little you get used to lying, in such a way that lying becomes so natural.
But just as the snowball descends the hill until it collides and collapses, so too those who have naturalized lying in their lives sooner or later find themselves in serious trouble. The lie interrupts our communion with the Lord, since He is the Truth and there is no lie in Him, how can we go before Him without first recognizing our sinful condition and repenting ?; but not only this, but the lie also puts us in a bad relationship with our neighbor, -and in the context that Paul writes in Ephesians, we could say that the lie does a great evil to the body of Christ. Nothing produces so much enmity - writes Chrysostom - as deception and cunning. The lie hurts in every way.
Faced with the reality of how serious the lie is, one question remains, what can I do? Is there a book entitled "Stop Lying in 24 Hours" or "No More White Lies"? Actually, even if these books existed, even if there were conferences to stop lying, it is something that could help momentarily, but the problem at its origin would not be addressed. And what is the origin? The heart.
The Christian, has the ability to say no to the lies, thanks to the Holy Spirit who works in us, when in obedience we submit to the Lord's commandment. We have known who the truth is (John 14: 6) therefore we can speak the truth, to do otherwise is to despise the Lord.
But how to do this? Because let's face it, it sounds great to say that we can say no to lies, but how do we do it? By not providing opportunities to lie, there are situations or scenarios in which the lie can germinate quickly, therefore you have to move away from those environments or people. Do not seek dishonest profit. Do not doubt the continued provision of the Lord, since lying is a way of wanting to "fix" things our way.
When we have to choose between the lie and the truth, let us choose the better part, the one that glorifies the Lord, that is, the truth.
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