Mid-week Inspiration,

Telling lies seems to be a part of the accepted way of living in our world today; certainly in North America it is a part of the culture.  Yet one of the highest insults one can pay to another in our society is to call him or her a liar.  Why is it such an insult?   Because it touches on our deep guilt.  We ‘know’ it is wrong; our bibles are filled with reference to the wrongness of lying.  Yet we have made a practice of the “white lie”, the innuendo, the fabrication, half truth, statistical error, and the lie to ‘protect’ another.

The other day when I was working with a young man I suggested that he was lying to himself when he said he would not feel hurt if he were treated as he treated his sibling.  He was very offended and in the moment I had a difficult time understanding his emotional outcry.  Later I understood.  I had caught him in his deepest fear, I had exposed his guilt to his righteousness, and it didn’t feel good. 

When I was fifteen, at the peek of my pious righteousness, an elderly man I was working with vehemently accused me of being a liar.  I was ill for three days from the ‘insult’.  Later (about a month), after looking deeply at the situation I decided I was probably the worlds best liar because I could lie to myself and actually believe it.  I would absolutely believe my own lie and vehemently defend it to the point of losing dear friends (remember I was fifteen).

Since that time many a wise person has pointed out to me that I was not unique, even in that way (another hard lesson).  In fact pretty much everyone lies in exactly this manner and it is this; these exact deep, hidden lies that justify our own little white lies ‘to protect’ those we love.  Honestly, that in itself is a lie; the only one we ever seek to protect is ourselves.  When we lie we are attempting to protect our own vulnerability; our fear of loss, abandonment, rejection, contempt and so on.  Even the smallest of lies!

Today I look closely at myself when I have the urge to hide behind a half truth; I ask myself what it is I am afraid of.  Almost always the answer has been rejection; whether or not I have continued with the lie.  Sometimes it has come out of my mouth before my brain has even kicked in.  I recognize in it, in the very desire, is a call for love.  And so I give myself that gift; I honour the person I am, the integrity and awareness, I also honour the fear and guilt, I love myself.  This forgiving frees me to move forward in integrity with far less fear.
Fear, amazingly disappears when looked at because it is always based on false values.

A life free of fear is a life free to prosper.  Today, I wish for you a prospering life filled with all good things.

In Love and Light,