October | Honesty
Truthfulness, uprightness, honor, integrity.
“A half-truth is a whole lie.” - Yiddish proverb
“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” - Spencer Johnson.
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” - Thomas Jefferson
Valuable Verses
“Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.”
Matthew 5:37 (MSG)
“The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth.”
Proverbs 12:22 (NLT)
“Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing Your instructions.“
Psalm 119:29 (NLT)
“Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.“
Psalm 15:1-2 (NLT)
A Word of Encouragement
TBH. To tell you the truth… Well, if I’m being honest… No Cap. For real, though. Straight fax. Cross my heart. Legit. Honestly!
Have you ever used any of these phrases in a conversation? We tend to use them after we’ve been making a joke about something, or when we want to make sure that the person we’re talking to knows we’re telling the truth about a particular topic. And while that’s okay on an occasional basis to joke, or emphasize a point. We shouldn’t have to use them often for people to believe what we say.
Sometimes, we think that lying will be easier than owning up to the truth. But one “little” lie often leads to another and another. We have to work harder and harder to keep track of what we’ve said and, eventually, the truth comes out anyway. Then, the people we’ve lied to feel like they can’t trust us.
And that is, honestly, what honesty is about. It’s about trust. At its core, honesty shows that we speak and act in ways that are worthy of being trusted. It shows our friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and others that we will own up to mistakes and work to make them right.
Get the Conversation Going
Take a moment to discuss these questions as a family:
Seen any spider webs lately? It’s getting to be that time of year - they seem to be everywhere! Take a walk and see if you can find one. If not, pull up a video of spider webs and talk about what happens when something gets caught in the web.
• Is the insect caught in the web happy?
• Do you think it wishes it had gone another direction?
Lying is a lot like getting caught in a web. You get stuck in something that’s not good for you.
• If you lie, who should you go to for help?
• How good does it feel to get unstuck from that web of lies?
Be sure to check the monthly activity page for age-appropriate ideas related to honesty.
