WF Pride

Integrity

Chad Cottingham

Apples to Apples is a fun, family friendly game that people can play in large groups. If you haven’t played it before, here’s the object of the game. Each player gets 7 cards with random words, people, places, things, etc… a noun. Then a community green card, an adjective, is chosen from that rounds judge. Each player picks one card out of their hand that they feel best matches the green card. The person (judge) then chooses the best option from the played red cards. Every person takes a turn being the judge, and no one judges the same way – it’s all up to that individual person. Needless to say, I never win this silly game.

The last time we played Apples to Apples as a family, the green card of ‘Honest’ appeared. Each player then scrambled to choose what they felt best fit the word. It was amazing to see the different choices of cards from the group, and even more amazing when the judge picked something different than I would have selected. It all came down to what the judge best felt matched the word honest.

In a game there may be different versions of the best meaning of ‘honest’. But are there really different meanings of honesty for different people? I don’t believe there is. You are either honest or you’re not. What about a little white lie? Some lies hold bigger consequences than others, but a lie is a lie. What about a half-truth? Well, isn’t a half-truth really a lie? After all, you really don’t know which half you’re getting. Some people think that lying is OK as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone or it is OK as long as it helps someone. This is the trap of lying. People deceive themselves into only thinking about the moment and don’t give much thought as to how that lie can snowball into a bigger problem. ~ Excerpts taken from YouVersion devotional ‘Lying’.

Let’s check out what God says in the bible say about lying:
Psalm 34:13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.
Proverbs 12:22 The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.
Ephesians 4:25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

“Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, help us to be men and women of integrity. Help us to always speak the truth and to speak the truth in love. Forgive us for telling lies and half-truths. Thank you for how clear the bible is on this topic. Help us to be more like You each and every day. It’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.”