Twisting Honesty … Hello Hump Day readers. I don’t know if you all know that each year on April 30th, National Honesty Day challenges us to be truthful in all we do. This started by M. Hirsh Goldberg, who was an author and former press secretary of the Governor of Maryland, who created the holiday in the early 1990’s while writing the first draft and researching for his book The Book of Lies: Fibs, Tales, Schemes, Scams, Fakes, and Frauds That Have Changed The Course of History and Affect Our Daily Lives. His idea was that people can ask each other questions and expect radically honest answers on Honesty Day–provided each of them are aware of the holiday. Every April 30th, Goldberg himself gives out an Honest Abe Award to honorable companies, organizations, groups, and individuals. He also contacts his friend, Billy Joel, and the two of them sing his song “Honesty.”

In our society today, ‘honesty’ has been culled and chopped up so we don’t have to truly ‘be honest’. Those who are fact-checkers (I am one of them) seek to find what is right and honest, sadly we find more lies than truth. It seems like no one cares even though they know it’s a lie. It’s easier to make your own truths knowing that it isn’t honest, yet you still spew the lies anyway! My goodness, what has happened to us?

God has a lot to say about honesty. Throughout the Scriptures we find texts that allude to the topic of trustworthiness, integrity, and purity. Without honesty, these traits are impossible. How can someone be trustworthy without honesty? How can you be pure when you live a life of dishonesty? When we are not honest we make a larger divide between us and God and that impacts our heart, soul and mind that can be devastating. Honesty is integral to developing a deep relationship with God—not keeping God farther away so we can do what we want to do. God already knows what we’re going to do anyway so why not be honest? Sooner or later it all comes out.

Honesty Scriptures: “Lips that lie are disgusting to the Lord, but honest people are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22 [GWT] “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with a lot…and whoever is dishonest with very little is dishonest with a lot.” Luke 16:10 [GWT]

Let’s make sure our honesty with others is motivated by love and kindness. Honesty without discretion is like telling an obese person they are very fat and the reason for their unhealthy condition is their own undisciplined lifestyle–too much indulging in food and drink. All that may be true but honesty needs to be helpful, not harmful! Our words can heal or hurt, right?

So, let’s be honest with ourselves and honest with God asking him: what do I really want? What is your best for me? The honest answers to these two questions will lead you in God’s will for your life, such as: 1) Honesty celebrates a fulfilling career, even if the income means a modest lifestyle. 2) Honesty is being happy with a child whose goals in life may be different from what you would choose. Don’t force things on anyone because foolish outcomes will follow. Avoid anger and trust in the Lord’s Wisdom that is able to wait and doesn’t have to be in control. The habit of honesty can be painful in the present moment, but brings healing as truth is embraced. In other words, BE KIND!

Billy Joel sang: “Honesty is such a lonely word” –how true is this now. Being honest today can incur slurs, jokes, etc. No wonder we can feel ‘alone’. But we are not alone! We have an omniscient God that we can trust thoroughly every single day as we wade through the lies, dishonesty, and the craziness in our society. And that is the honest truth! AMEN.