At What Point has Lying Become a Way of Life?
People openly lie and are dishonest each day. Lying is defined as: a lie, a falsehood, the deliberate act of deviating from the truth and the purpose being to deceive. We become dishonest and lie when we tell something that is not true (1 Kings 13:9-18). A good example of this is when parents at times hear their children crying wolf. What does it really mean to cry wolf? Another good example of dishonesty can be as simple as when the telephone rings and having someone tell the caller that you are not home when you are standing right there. When considering these examples, has lying become a way of life?
Is lying a way of life?
Lying has come to the point where some business practices and maneuvers are deceptive and the truth is stretched thin just to gain business. Dishonesty is when we sell or leave a false impression for personal gain. The wise man Solomon spoke against this practice, which was very prevalent in that time, and said, “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel” (Proverbs 20:17). Can lying be the same as cheating on a test, taxes or anything else like it? If not, then what would you call it? When one is caught in a lie, do some think and believe that we can continue to hide the truth by creating deceptions? Again Solomon said, “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool” (Proverbs 10:18).
Sometimes being dishonest means that we may twist the truth so that rumors may be initiated or continued. Lying can be dangerous because it paints a picture of something that is not real. Jesus had a problem with deceivers like this and said to them, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). The simple fact is that lying makes one look good at the moment, but when the truth is told later, it gets them in trouble. And, when one gets caught, do they stop lying or has it become a way of life for them? Our communication ought to be, “. . . Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37).
We as a society should not be lying to one another, which includes the practice of excuses. Excuses are another form of lying because the reason why this person did not help you, or the reason why they never showed up should never be explained by diverting away from the real reasons of truth. Dishonesty has never been a good thing. Dishonesty with wedding vows will easily tear up and destroy a home. Dishonesty has been shown to bankrupt businesses. Lying and dishonesty will destroy the soul of a man or woman. Therefore, we need to diligently strive to make our lives and character honest and full in integrity. We must never fool ourselves into believing that a lie can or will ever substitute for the truth. We should never let lying become a way of life.