Honestly...

Why is it that honesty is such a hard trait to come by? Why do we constantly hide and create a facade to hide behind? What is it that we're so afraid of? Do we not live in a fallen world? Is there any one of us that is perfect? Of course not. So why are we so afraid that people may find out that we aren't perfect? Isn't that already a given?

There are so many areas of life in which I have been confronted with this lately. For one, of course we have been following the political world. It's constantly one candidate accusing the other of this or that and the other trying to refute the claims and save face. We were watching a special last night in which they were investigating Obama's ties to various radical individuals. Basically they were trying to find out if indeed he was a radical sympathizer, as his relationships seem to indicate or if it was all, as he insists, just coincidental and simply being used as smears. So they were looking into information on his college years. Or should I say, the lack thereof. He has hidden EVERYTHING about his college years. They can't find a single person who will admit that they knew him in college. And the one person who he did admit to knowing, he had used a nickname or something and he had radical ties as well. They could not even find his senior thesis and could not get access to his transcripts. Now, I'm not saying that he's a radical. I don't know that he is. What I do know is that IF he is completely innocent of these charges and has absolutely nothing to hide about his college years and associations, then he could easily alleviate all fears by simply releasing the information for the public to see. If there's nothing to hide in your senior thesis, why not show it? It helped you graduate did it not? So why wouldn't you be proud of it? Why hide it? Dishonesty is never attractive and always makes people assume the worst. What I CAN admire about Obama is his willingness to admit to at least some faults, such as drug use and poor choices in his younger years. And I believe that honesty is attractive to most all people. We know darn good and well that no person, politician or celebrity or whatever, is perfect. So any attempt to appear perfect only comes off as fake. This is why Sarah Palin has been so popular among common folks. Because she willingly admits to being one of us. She's aired her dirty laundry for the whole world to see and scrutinize because she's comfortable enough with herself to acknowledge that she isn't perfect and she doesn't have to be. THAT is attractive and appealing.

I know a person who constantly lives two lives. They are one person around some people, and completely another around other people. For some family and more religious friends they appear kind, responsible, hard-working, loyal and selfless. Around more "rowdy" or laid-back friends, they are foul-mouthed, inappropriate in their relationships, not loyal at all and completely selfish, always looking for a party or another drink. You can't have it both ways. At least not for very long. "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all the time." I'm not exactly sure why this person is so dishonest. But I do know that they are not the only one. It happens all the time. Why? What are they trying to prove? We already know that they are not the perfect, responsible, wonderful people that they are trying to be. How do we know this? Because none of us are! So why not be honest with your struggles and problems? Why hide everything from the very people who would accept you regardless of your failures and shortcomings? Are you afraid that the irresponsible, disloyal, partying you would be lessed liked or frowned upon? Well then maybe you have a conscience issue. Perhaps you KNOW what you're truely like is wrong and are ashamed of it. But you aren't truely ashamed because other people have a higher standard. You're ashamed because God has a higher standard. And you know it.

Sneaking around may get you different reactions from different people. You may be able to deceive some people for awhile or gain (or keep) a few friends. But God knows exactly who you are ALL of the time. You can't pick and choose what HE sees. You can't hide away secret friendships, relationships, webpages, pictures, etc. from Him. And He is the one that matters. What I think of you amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things. And what other people think of you amounts to nothing. But if there is one thing God cannot stand, it is dishonesty. He already knows when you're mad at Him, when you're frustrated, when you fail, when you're sad, when you don't want to talk to Him or even believe in Him. And He's OK with all of that. What He isn't OK with is you lying about what you're feeling or doing. And unlike humans, He ALWAYS knows.

So perhaps we should all re-evaluate the way that we live our lives and who we are trying to impress. I pray my life will be an open book for all to see. Because my failures show God's grace. And my humanness shows His glory. I am a failure. I am a sinner. I am selfish, lazy and have no self-control. But through His mercy I am accepted. I am forgiven. I am compassionate, hard-working and disciplined. I am able to love extraordinarily because I have been loved extraordinarily. I cannot claim any success of my own. It is only God through me that has made me who I am, and I am a constant work in progress. However, I believe that by allowing others to see my weaknesses, I am able to show them that I am no better than them, that they too can be loved and accepted beyond any act of their own doing.

So I will always strive to be honest and open in all that I do, knowing that I will fall flat on my face for the whole world to see more times than I would like to acknowledge...but trusting that in my struggles, God will be glorified.