READ: Proverbs 10:9; Proverbs 12:19
When we were growing up, most of us learned certain phrases that we used when a certain friend or a group would challenge us as to whether or not we were lying or telling the truth. I don’t know what phrases you learned in response to people who challenged whether or not you were being truthful, but I learned: “Cross my heart and hope to die; stick a needle in my eye.” I don’t know what that meant exactly, but that was the oath that I would take. I learned to say things like, “Honest to God this is true.” “I swear to you on a stack of Bibles.” We just wanted people to know we were telling the truth. Truth is a very soft pillow to lie on every night. If you tell the truth, you never have to worry about or lose sleep over being found out in a lie. If you tell the truth and keep your promises, you just have a better life. God reminds us in Proverbs 12:19, “Truthful words stand the test of time.” There is no substitute for telling the truth, and people should not need an oath or a catch phrase from us to be sure we are telling it. Be a person of your word.
When we were growing up, most of us learned certain phrases that we used when a certain friend or a group would challenge us as to whether or not we were lying or telling the truth. I don’t know what phrases you learned in response to people who challenged whether or not you were being truthful, but I learned: “Cross my heart and hope to die; stick a needle in my eye.” I don’t know what that meant exactly, but that was the oath that I would take. I learned to say things like, “Honest to God this is true.” “I swear to you on a stack of Bibles.” We just wanted people to know we were telling the truth. Truth is a very soft pillow to lie on every night. If you tell the truth, you never have to worry about or lose sleep over being found out in a lie. If you tell the truth and keep your promises, you just have a better life. God reminds us in Proverbs 12:19, “Truthful words stand the test of time.” There is no substitute for telling the truth, and people should not need an oath or a catch phrase from us to be sure we are telling it. Be a person of your word.
– Dr. Tim Thompson