WHY WE LIE

Isn’t it weird how we lie? How we spin stories to present ourselves as the people we wish we were instead of who we are? Or how we sit quietly and perpetuate an untruth when we know it’s a lie? And we’ll do it with people we’ve known for years as quick as with total strangers.

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us our hearts are incurably deceptive, but it just seems ridiculous for us to struggle with telling the simple truth. Often, our lies aren’t even overt … it’s not saying something untrue, but failing to correct something untrue or inaccurate or leaning into a lie previously told by you or someone else.

My theory is that we have multiple versions of ourselves stored away in our minds. ‘Regi the athlete’ once ran a mile in less than 6 minutes when he was in high school. Never happened. ‘Regi the musician’ played in a band who opened for Marvin Gaye back in the 60’s. Fantasy. But the stories get told and retold.

We need these versions of ourselves so we measure up … so we’re accepted, admired, and respected.

But reality is harsh. Most people hear these stories and know they’re lies. How? Because they have their own drawer full of stories they tell about themselves … for the same reasons … so they’ll be accepted. Admired. Respected. Well-thought-of.

Here’s the real kicker. Maintaining all those fantasies just makes us feel worse about ourselves, not better. It’s called ‘living a lie.’

As Jesus-followers, God has already found us totally acceptable (through Christ) without all that stuff. But our lives will not truly change until we grab hold of and believe it in the fabric of our being.

So, next time you find yourself on the cusp of bending the truth, perpetuating a deception from the past, or just about to say something that isn’t true, don’t. Decide to speak truth instead. Remember that God has your back.

Let’s go one step further. Identify one ‘little white lie’ you’ve told or perpetuated and straighten it out. Shine the light of God’s grace and forgiveness voluntarily into a dark corner of your life … clean it out once and for all. It could be the start of something very cool.

Our faith gives us the guts to tell the truth to ourselves and others … because we know we can trust God with the outcomes.

Mentor Tip: Tell your guys about the ‘little white lie’ you plan to straighten out and why. Then challenge them to do the same. It could make for some great conversation about how we are accepted in Christ and maybe even help one of your mentees turn over a new leaf.

Think and Pray

Our faith gives us the guts to tell the truth to ourselves and others … because we know we can trust God with the outcomes.

Lord, help me to model honesty and humility in my interactions with others, confident of Your acceptance and committed to speaking truth at all times. Thank You for continuing to refine my character. Amen

Regi Campbell is an experienced investor and entrepreneur by trade. But his real passion is mentoring younger men. In 2007, Regi founded Radical Mentoring to help encourage and equip mentors and churches to launch mentoring groups. He has written four books: About My Father’s Business, Mentor Like Jesus, What Radical Husbands Do, and Radical Wisdom. Regi currently lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife of 47 years, Miriam.