Saturday, March 8, 2014

A good place to start…


What are some practical things that you can do and I can do to practice integrity?  One thing to start off with and then begin to build on it, to build integrity into your relationships is to  speak honestly.  You speak honestly.

Mark Twain said one time that speaking honestly takes a lot of stress out of our lives.  He said "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."  George Burns said one time, "The most important thing about acting is honesty.  If you can fake that, you've got it made." 

But you can't fake honesty, especially with the people you're closest to.  They'll know whether you're being honest or not.  You cannot fake it.  And if you catch somebody in a lie in a relationship the trust level goes way down in a relationship.  Speaking honestly is a very important part.

As you speak honestly let's do it in the way the Bible says to do it.  Ephesians 4:15 (TEV), "Speak the truth in a spirit of love".  Notice "spirit of love". 

Some people speak the truth in a relationship in a way that destroys the relationship rather than builds the relationship.  It's important to speak honestly but in a spirit of love. 

Some people don't tell the truth they launch the truth – a guided missile into your life.  Sort of Clint Eastwood kind of truth tellers, they pull it out like a 44 Magnum and blow you away with it then they walk away feeling great about themselves and you're laying on the floor destroyed.  "I told the truth" they say, but not the truth in the spirit of love.

Just a thought from the front porch…

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