Lies

The truth is, I have sat here scouring my brain for a little lie to tell from when I was a child. I can’t think of one! All I can think of are sneaky things I did and big lies that take too long to tell. So, I’ll tell one on Heidi. A while ago, she was having an issue with playing with her gum. She had been threatened that the next time, she would have gum taken away for a while. One sunny day, we were on a road trip. I noticed Heidi had a blanket over her head in the back seat. A few minutes later she emerged saying, “Look at the ball I made with my gum.” I turned to look. The dark pink gum was in a perfectly smooth ball. It was shiny and couldn’t be more ball-like. I asked her how she made it. She said wimpishly, “With my tongue.” Either she has a very impressive hidden talent or she was lying.

We’ve all told one of those lies. Don’t you remember that sick feeling when you know you’re about to get caught? And, the false “relief” you feel when you didn’t get caught. You just get a little more time to rehearse your story and dread that moment of confrontation. Then, it happens. Someone calls you on the lie. And, even though the consequences may not be pretty, you’re free from the mental trap you put yourself in.

I think there is another type of lie that is not near as obvious but is much more binding than a blatant falsehood. It is a slow and subtle deception – leaving out the truth a little at a time. When I was in college, I began my freshman year sitting in the back of my Adolescent Psychology class. As the year went on, I noticed I couldn’t read the words on the whiteboard very well. So, I moved up a little. It kept getting worse. I didn’t understand why the teacher was using smaller font. I moved up a few more times. I ended the semester on the second row. At Christmas break, I noticed that I couldn’t read the road signs very well. Obviously, the problem was not everything else. It was my eyes. So, for the first time I went to the eye doctor. By golly, I had to get glasses.

I still remember walking out of that Jackson, MO Wal-Mart. It was like the sun was blinding me and those trees to the left were vivid green. Later that day, I realized that I could see the individual leaves on trees and the facial details of people in other cars. I had no idea when my eyes began getting worse and I wondered how long I had been missing so much. It had been such a slow fade.

A little blur can cause us to miss seeing things as they truly are. Just because we look at something a certain way or through a certain perspective for a long time, doesn’t mean it’s true.

In my life, I know when I have found the truth. It brings a true sense of freedom and security. I have believed so many lies about myself, other people, and God. Every single time one of those lies is shattered, the freedom found on the other side is exhilarating. And, the security feels like a warm blanket.


I can honestly say, I am growing to love it when I meet new people and they are nothing like my first impression. It’s beautiful! I am finding it very enlightening when I have preconceived ideas or lies I’ve made up in my head about people I’ve known for years and something happens that I see them in a different light. I get to understand where they come from and what things they’ve gone through that make them who they are. The truth changes that relationship.

Poor Brent is married to someone who is very difficult to be loved. We joke sometimes and call me a wild horse. I have believed that I am difficult to be loved and that no one would want to take the time it takes to experience the tamer side of me. Boy, has Brent proved me wrong. He never stops breaking through. I am experiencing what God intended marriage to be… freeing and securing.

I’m sure God gets a kick out of the lies I have believed about Him. And, I’m so thankful for the way He is shattering them one at a time. His grace is all about His incomprehensible love for us and our hearts finding their true home.

What things have you believed for so long that just aren’t quite right? “Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from evil powers of this world and not from Christ.” Colossians 2: 6-8. Don’t let that subtle blur steal the Truth from you.