Honesty, Pathway To Holiness And Key To Healthy Relationships (16)
The past week, as I was still seeking the mind of the Lord regarding honesty, something caught my attention as I was reading 2 Corithians 4:2 – We refuse to wear masks and play games…. “We keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God”. What a word! What a scripture!
The Bible translation of Paul’s words to the Corinthians is particularly pointed in our consideration of the level of honesty in our lives as we relate to others. There are many reasons for the ‘masks’ we wear, but one of the most significant motivations for not being honest with each other is that many of us live behind a wall of self-protection. Just as there are various ways in which self-protection is expressed, there are also several reasons for this behaviour. The most fundamental is that we do not want to be known, do not want to be vulnerable to others. It all began back in the Garden of Eden and is part of our endemic fallen nature. Remember when Adam and Even sinned, they tried to hide themselves with fig leaves? They were ‘naked’, exposed and vulnerable.
Vulnerability, by definition, implies we are liable to be wounded by the one with whom we are being vulnerable. Because most of us have experienced emotional pain, we do not want to open ourselves to more. So we cover or hide our true heart feelings, believing that if we are honest about them, we will be rejected, ridiculed or misunderstood. Our communication becomes guarded, we say things we don’t really mean, we disguise or ‘mask’ the truth with our words and we speak from our head instead of our heart. Remember when somebody says how you are and you reply that you are fine and, yet, inside you are hurting? Remember the time when you have tried to smile when deep down you feel like crying? Yes, who feels is knows it indeed!
We build walls instead of bridges and work hard and maintain what we believe is an acceptable image. And this is so tiring, so wearing!
O virtuous woman, may God lead you into honesty that declutters your mind and ensures you live with.
