Nine reasons to tell the truth

Bill Vossler

In the movie Quiz Show, the Rob Morrow character is asked whether he would lie in exchange for big money, his own television show and the adoration of fans. Flat-out he says no. He's not tempted; he doesn't have to think about it.

Telling the truth is not always that easy for everyone else. Sure, "Don't lie" is the ninth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16, the Bible), but all human beings make mistakes, and one of those mistakes is to sometimes tell lies.

Telling the truth is as hard today as it's ever been. Lying is often made to look glamorous. On TV, in movies and in real life, a liar often seems to get the money, the woman or man and the praise.

At least, that's how it looks from the outside. The reality is that there's often much more going on inside the liar's brain that doesn't get noticed or talked about. The Bible says that lying is a sin, and that the penalty for sin is death. But there's death and there's death. If you've ever seen the empty eyes of someone on drugs or someone in deep trouble, you know that death can come creeping little by little. A person can be dead inside but still be walking.

One of the ways to hasten your own inner death is to tell lies. Despite the current tendency to view lies as acceptable, it is imperative that you tell the truth. Here are nine reasons why:

1. Truth is right. Lying is wrong. It's that simple.

2. Lies will come back to haunt you. You can't hide from your lies. You can sweep them under the rug for a while, but in an hour, a day, a month or a year, they will wiggle back out into daylight.

For example, if you lie about where you went last Friday and someone innocently asks you what it was like, you'll have to make something up, you'll have to lie again. Someone else is bound to say, "Oh, is that street open now?" or make some other relevant comment, and you'll have to lie again. From then on, rather than just calling up the truth from your memory, you'll have to remember the story you made up, and the later story you made up to cover the first story. Eventually, the people you don't want to know will find out, and you will have lied for nothing. In fact, your punishment will doubtless be worse for having lied. "The truth will come out," is an old saying.

And if God knows everything, He certainly knows about your lies.

3. Lies weigh you and others down. If you lie about a friend or acquaintance--say you say Sean cheated on his taxes--then a little bit more heaviness is added to your brain and your heart. Every time you see Sean afterwards, your gut will wrench. You won't want to talk to Sean or spend time with him. You'll wonder what he knows, and if he'll confront you. You will become a fugitive, running from the lie you told.

4. Lies prevent you from developing as a person. Time, energy and worry are often spent on lies, when instead they could be invested on friendship, learning, joy and having fun. Who wants to spend time with a person who lies? Friendships can suffer, because if you tell a lie to your friend about another person you both know, that friend will wonder if you lie about him, too, when he's not around.

5. Truth enhances your reputation. If you work hard at telling the truth, other people will notice. They will respect you because they know how difficult telling the truth can sometimes be. Eventually they will come to you for honest opinions and answers on dicey problems, because they know you'll tell the truth and they can't get those truths from many others.

6. Truth will make true friends for you. Friendship is built on shared interests, caring and honesty. If you tell the truth, your relationships with friends will flourish. Those relationships will plant deep roots that won't be torn out by the first storm that comes along.

7. You will feel better about yourself. Truth is a gentle, healing sponge that keeps your conscience clear and you happy. Jesus Christ said, "The truth shall make you free" (John 8:32, the Bible). This does not mean that you won't be tempted or be filled with fear or even sometimes lose friends (at least, people who called themselves your friends) through telling the truth. Even though telling the truth is the right way to go, it will challenge you. But, in the long run, you will feel powerful and clean because you have done the right thing.

8. One truth-telling makes the next one easier. Telling the truth requires practice. Each truth-telling strengthens you for telling the truth the next time. Each one gets easier, until telling the truth becomes second nature to you.

9. Your truth makes it easier for others to tell the truth. You will become a role model. When friends and acquaintances (even strangers) see that you walk taller, have more confidence and win friends because of telling the truth, they will try to model that behaviour.

Also, your being truthful makes it easier for others to be truthful with you, and it is through knowing these truths that you can make needed changes and accomplish many of the things you want in life.

Bill Vossler is a writer from St. Cloud, Minn.

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