Remember the last time I said you looked great in the faded green plaid shirt you were wearing? Yeah, well I lied and I pointed out to everybody the eye sore is your actually your favorite shirt and less painful to look at than that bright yellow thing you call “vintage.” If I were truly honest this would be a conversation I would be having. Unfortunately, while this example borders absurdity, the idea of our pervading dishonesty in all aspects of our life holds true when we think about situations when we could have been more honest. Case in point, the right partner does not boast another partner’s ego because he or she is worried about the feelings of the partner. Honesty is a function of accountability and a partner’s willingness to keep his or her partners accountable. Let’s just look at the man, Job: Have I lied to anyone or deceived anyone? Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity. – Job 31:5-6 Job asks his friends in a seven chapter monologue and concludes that he is honest and all partnerships with him were accountable to even the justice of God! This was either a very cocky move on the part of Job or a testament to his accountability. For Job, lying and deceiving, could not be a part of his life because his life of honesty meant he was guided by the principles of godliness. But honesty doesn’t only come in the form of accountability towards protecting a partner from making a mistake; it is also present when you, as a partner take an accounting of your own shortcomings and repay for your discretions. It is not merely asking for forgiveness; rather it includes making reparations for damages done. A person who is truly honest is somebody who owns up to his or her mistakes and then goes beyond that act of penitence and corrects it. Everything short of that is a little dishonest. It is like getting away with a freebie. When you can trust your partner is honest, then you can begin to grow in ways you never imagined. Likewise, when you are honest, as a partner to somebody else in their life, you will see tremendous fruits stemming from the honesty embodied by all parties involved. If honesty is the characteristic you lack; the one thing holding you back from becoming a true partner to somebody in their circumstances and in their life, can you live with yourself without asking God to guide your paths? Today I want you to pray and ask God to make you accountable, to make you honest. I believe that the painful, sometimes hurtful honesty of your voice will resonate more deeply than any ego trip and be more profoundly life altering, so why not go out and walk in godly paths and ask God for the boldness to say “weigh me on your scales of justice.” Go be honest with yourself today.
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