The Truth about Lies

                In a day and time when we wake up to merry go round headlines, are marketed to by deceptive ads, have social media pages that paint perfection, and are constantly bombarded by “anonymous sources” what are we to believe?  In the last year alone, I have felt like there is a rise in tantalizing posts and headlines with an even more eager pack of societal wolves ready to devour the selatious goods.  But what is being devoured?  Are we really to believe newspapers who have been caught fabricating stories or authors who are known liars trying to make a buck?  What about when the lie falls at your own doorstep?  Are you going to believe a lie about your neighbor or are you going to take the small amount of energy and intellect to investigate before you ingest the feces laced brownies of gossip?

                We all like to think ourselves to be wise and smarter than the next person and no one wants to admit they were wrong, especially when it comes to a belief system, but we must search out truth.  Question why you believe what you’re told!  Why do you believe the words on pages, post, or even whispered in your ear?  To go even deeper: why do you believe in the political party or religious system you follow (yes, I went there-politics & religion!). 

                To help shed some light on the topic, here are some time-tested truths about lies:

1)      A believable lie always has an element of truth in it.  Have you ever had a child tell you a made-up story?  They will try to tell you some creative things to get you to believe them, but you instantly know they are lying when they include random details like flying ponies or their mom told them they could eat ice-cream for dinner.  These are obvious red flags, but the real lies, the most dangerous ones have some truth.  For instance, if an anonymous source comes out and speaks against someone they will usually include some things that sound legitimate, but you must resist the instinct to believe the worst in others and wait to see if there is a red flag.  Red flags to look for are things like, “I believe this person is doing what is best for our organization and I want to make my best effort to help, but I want the world to know they are having an affair and are the biggest idiot who has ever ran the company”.  The red flags are the things that were stated that just sacrificed the person’s so-called efforts to help by throwing the organization and its leader under the bus.  Causing chaos to ensue.  This is not a new tactic.

Thousands of years ago the first lie recorded was to Eve, in the garden.  Genesis 3 tells us that the serpent (Satan) twisted the words God had spoken to Adam and Eve and in verse 4 he said, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  The lie was they wouldn’t die, but the insinuation of the wording is as to say “you won’t die immediately” which was true, it would be a few hundred years, but their souls would be dead instantly.  The other “truth” was that their eyes would be opened.  Yes, after they ate they would become creatures of good and evil.  They would have to fight the urge to do evil and they would know the difference, but what a cost!

Even when we play creatively with our wording, if we are insinuating an idea so the person won’t believe the truth, we are lying.  If you are listening to a person or a story that is insinuating an idea that you are to come to your own conclusions about, you are probably being lied to and it seems human beings lean towards the worst assumptions.  This begins the lovely death spiral of truth, otherwise known as gossip.

2)      Human nature tends to have a knee jerk reaction and lean towards believing a lie before putting any effort into uncovering the truth (aka laziness).  Have you ever been fed a story so juicy that before the last sentence was read your lips or in today’s world, fingers were moving to post the information to all who would read or listen?  This is our nature.  We refuse to think the best of others and rightfully so.  Dissapointment in others happens in life, but this doesn’t make it a valid point to spread what may be lies.  Even Adam, back in Genesis, came to Eve and as she turned to him and told him, “Hey this is pretty good fruit, God just doesn’t want us to be like him, so he told us not to eat it.  It’s totally delicious! What does He know anyways?  (ok, my paraphrase of events but look it up in Genesis 3) Adam, without hesitation, took the lie and ate it.

3)      Lies divide us.  Do I really have to write much about this?  It is such an obvious point.  Our political views are taken advantage of by a blood thirsty media.  A media that knows if it paints our opponents in such a negative light we will not listen to reasonable conversation, even between ourselves and lifelong friends. They have succeeded. They have divided us.  We can no longer discuss ideas, just call names.  Once again, this also happened the first time a lie was told…let me introduce you to Genesis 3, AGAIN! (beginning in verse 8) When God comes calling Adam and Eve hide themselves.  They tell God they are naked and afraid!  Those two ideas didn’t exist before the fall of man.  So now they are living behind a bush, separated from the ultimate peace: God.  Adam then tells God, “The woman you gave to be with me…”  Adam, the man who sang a poem over this majestic woman God made to be his best friend and lover, just threw Eve under the bus!  Now we have the first temporary marriage separation.  Lies divide.  The always have and always will. 

4)      The truth will eventually come out, even it seems like it’s too late.  But God!  He fights for us and He is Truth.  As the first lie was told and lies are told in multiples, millions of times a day, we scratch our heads looking for truth.  The truth comes out in most situations.  There are times the whole truth isn’t reveal as far as concrete evidence, but there are enough signs pointing towards a situation that everyone has it figured out and we don’t need an announcement.  When you are personally lied about, know that God is Truth and pray He brings the truth to light.  He will fight for you in your circumstances far better than you can stand saying: THIS IS NOT TRUE!  Those who know you best will know your character and know the Truth. 

Most days we aren’t trying to defend ourselves but trying to decipher the wheat from the tares.  How do we know if something is true?  Personally, I search for multiple, named sources.  Whether this be in a personal situation or a national one.  Also, does the lie line up with what you know about the person’s personality and character?  Does the lie/story have some things that seem believable but one or two little outlandish comments that seem out of place?  I’d lean towards putting it in the lie column.  Finally, I am a believer in Christ.  This gives me access to wisdom and insight that I otherwise wouldn’t have.  I pray for wisdom to decipher truth in situations.  Reading God’s Word on a regular basis gives you deeper understanding. The Bible clearly states: “THY WORD IS TRUTH” (John 17:7, Psalms 119:160).

In a world where people are cleverly asking, “What is truth?” and defining it by their own ideals are we shocked that we are lost in a forest of lies?  Truth is your compass, but truth is not your own opinions.  It all really will come out in the end. See John 12:48, while you are at it, do a search in the Bible app on the word truth.  You will be amazed.

In THE END, Truth Wins!

-Melissa Pyle