Am I Honest?

Full Question: Am I honest in all my actions and words, or do I exaggerate?

Read Colossians 3:9-11.

You would not believe how hard I worked today! It was incredible! I was the hardest working person in the garden today! I planted more onions and pulled more weeds than anyone else! What? You want the truth? How do you know that’s not the truth? Why do you think I am exaggerating?

To exaggerate is to represent something better or bigger than it really is. We often think of “fish stories” when we think of exaggeration—stories where a person’s catch gets bigger with each telling of the story. But we all exaggerate, sometimes even in small ways. When we misrepresent ourselves to make ourselves sound better, look better or appear more important than we are, we are failing the honesty test.

Honesty has to do with integrity. It has to do with a whole life, a life that is faithful to who we really are. To act honestly is to fulfill our promises. To speak honestly is “simply” to tell the truth. Do I do this without fail? No, the temptation to exaggerate (pardon the pun) looms large. I want others to think well of me. But I want them to believe me as well. But if I exaggerate (lie large), pretty soon nothing I say will be believable.

So maybe the question boils down to this: do I want to be liked or do I want to be believed? An even better question: which of those would Jesus prefer I be?

Oh, in the garden today? Well, yeah, I worked hard, but so did everyone else. We got a lot done. It was sort of an amazing experience: a group of Christians, working in a community garden (“The Garden of Eden”) at a Jewish Community Center for the sake of a food pantry that will help all those in need. What a world it could be!