Thursday, April 11, 2024

James 5:12

James 5:12 

  Why do we lie?  
  I wonder how much of it is driven by our need to maintain an image.  Sometimes, we're afraid of what the truth would reveal about us.  We're afraid that the truth might show something to others that we don't want to be seen.  We hide it, because we're trying to hold onto something, no matter if it's not eternally important.  We often lie just for us.
  So James tells us to be truthful.  The truth often isn't easy, and it can hurt sometimes... but clinging to the truth, and the truth alone, can help us learn how to trust in God and in God alone, to focus on how beloved and treasured we are by God.  We learn that a community based in honesty and humility can be authentic and can be relied upon in times of need -- we don't have to carry a false image into such a place, but can be open with one another, encouraging one another, and finding healing.

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