Have you noticed how lying has become such a part of everyday life that it sometimes becomes difficult to distinguish reality from lie? For example, do reality shows depict life as it is or is it a scripted story filmed to look real? Movies, soap-operas, and even pro-wrestling programs glamorize a story line (a lie) and try to pass it off as truth.
One day a mom asked her young son, “What is a lie, honey?” He said in a serious tone, “Mother, a lie is an abomination to the Lord, but a very present help in a time of need.”*
Funny as that is, many people agree. Lying can become so common place that parents sometimes instruct their children to lie. Back in the days when kids traveled on trains to get somewhere with their parents, they didn’t charge for kids that were five or under. And so this six-year-old fellow was told by his mother, as they were carrying their bags to the train, “Tell ‘em you’re five.” The little boy frowned and he got on the train and sat down. And the conductor came by and said, “How old are you, son?” And he says, “Uhh, five.” So he didn’t pay anything. His mother paid her fare and the conductor left. The conductor came back a couple of hours later just to talk to him – rubbed his hand in the little fellow’s hair and said, “Well, how are you getting’ along?” The boy answered, “Really good.” The conductor continued their chat and said, “Let’s see, when are you gonna be six?” And the little boy said, “About the time I get off this train I’m gonna to be six.” It is interesting that a child can find it difficult to lie, yet as adults we seem to do it so easily.
Today, how many parents tell their children to do the same thing in order to pay a lower price for a movie?
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape.” (Proverbs19:5). To lie is seek to distort truth or to imagine things that did not occur. This is because to speak truth is to reveal a fact. Truth is to report something that has occurred exactly the way it took place or to trust that something will happen based on the creditability of the source.
Pledge in your heart today not to participate in lies, whether they are “little white lies” of convenience or really big whoppers. Living between the lines of blurred truth, as TV shows and movies often do, is the same as living in the dark.
Living a lie is like moving around in the dark. A person may get around but it is a lot of trouble that can lead to a broken toe.
*Paul E. Holdcraft, Snappy Stories That Preachers Tell.
