Tell the Truth

I have a bible verse that has become a personal favorite of mine over the past year. It comes from Ephesians 5:11. It reads “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (NIV).

This has become a very personal thing for me.

I have watched havoc be wreaked on the lives of people I know—including myself—because they were afraid to tell the truth. And there are always a myriad of reasons to conceal something. There’s always a rationale. Maybe you’re trying to protect someone. Maybe you want to avoid hurting someone. Maybe it’s self-interested. You think your entire world will shatter if you open your mouth. You don’t want that change.

It’s way too scary.

But scary has gotten to a point where it’s sick of living with me now, and I have realized that scary doesn’t really have much to do with who I am. Sure, I feel fear every so often. But that’s like a radar picking up on crap in the surrounding environment. That doesn’t have a fudge to do with who I am.

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Ever think about the wording of that verse? I know if you grew up hearing it in Sunday School, it’s a bit easy to just brush under the rug. Oh, I know that one. I have heard it a million times! But if you think like that, chance are, you miss the humor. (The Bible, by the way, is a very funny book!)

Think about it. “Fruitless deeds of darkness.” The deeds of darkness have no fruit. It’s a bit hard for death to leave a legacy, actually; everyone committed to it turns to dust! It’s bound to fail.

And then life inevitably plants seeds in the dust of death and makes a frickin’ garden out of the whole thing. There’s irony for you!

So, telling the truth is something to do because it’s a whole lot more fun. There’s a bit more party involved in telling the truth. A bit more dancing involved at a light-show. And, oh, look! Read it in context, and Truth is Love is Life is the Way is God. Time for some happy-dancing. Go tell the Truth.