My Little Devotional: "Liar, Liar"

Inspiration for Today’s Devotional: “Daring Done”

A lot of today’s episode was devoted to the concept of “truth”. There was, of course, the Truth Talisman that was the big MacGuffin for the plot and compelled every character who touched it to tell the truth. There was also the deception that was involved with Dr. Cabelleron and Fluttershy to try and use her into stealing the artifact, and the truth from Ahuizotl about the real reason he was constantly going after Daring Do. Most of all, this episode’s premise centered around the truth of Daring Do and Dr. Cabelleron’s respective renditions of life events coming out in their stories–with either individual claiming that their book was real and the other’s book was the lie. In short, the idea of “truth” and what that meant or entitled an individual to was frequently hit on in this episode.

Probably the most infamous line from a non-Christian in the New Testament came from Pilate at the trial of Jesus: “What is truth?” (John 18:38) Taking the context in which he asked this (seemingly rhetorical) question, it becomes clear that even in the ancient world people were debating about the nature of truth or whether it even really existed. I personally would contend that truth is not only real but is so potent and powerful that it just might be the scariest thing in the world to most individuals. Humans constantly “search for truth” or are eager to “find out the truth”, but in reality truth is such an intimidating and humbling thing that, as I pointed out in an earlier devotional, our society would collapse if we were forced to live with it.

Consider for a moment if something like the Truth Talisman was real. Would we want to have it in our possession? What if someone who was a co-worker or even a friend asked us what we really thought of them? Or our bosses asked about how productive we’ve been during performance reviews for a raise or a bonus? What if every time a police officer pulled us over we had to be honest about what we were doing behind the wheel and how much attention we were really paying to the road? What if every time we really didn’t want to hang out with someone or attend an event, we couldn’t rely on an excuse but would have to tell someone what we truthfully wanted? Or every time someone asked us why we were tired or late we had to tell the truth about that? How about if we were asked what our Internet search history is like, including the parts where we “go incognito”? Or our significant other asked us if we’d ever entertained the thought of being with someone else and wondered, even for a moment, if we could get away with it?

What if someone asked us our opinion on race, gender, sexual orientation, or other religions and we had to be totally honest about what we thought? How about other countries or minority groups? Or we had to be honest about our own family members and our opinions on their life choices or even what they’ve done to us in the past? What if we had a parent or child who was sick or horribly scarred from an accident and we had to be honest about how we thought they looked? What if our children came up and asked us which of them we loved the most or we were the most proud of?

Then there’s the big questions for the Christian. What would we say if Jesus asked if He could come into our houses and take a look around? What would we say if He asked us if He was really the top priority in our lives? What would we answer if He asked us how much of our time, money, and talent we gave to Him? What would we say if He asked us when was the last time we tried to outreach to anyone? Or shared the Gospel with anyone? What if He asked us what we really thought every time we got up on a Sunday and realized we had to go praise and worship? Or if we truly had forgiven everyone in our own lives or if we still hated anyone? How about when was the last time we committed a deliberate sin even if someone warned us about it? Or if we truly intended to do it again some time in the future?

People throw around the term “being honest with oneself”, but as I hope I have illustrated above living in the truth is not a lighthearted matter. Most of us are probably so used to living with a lie in one form or another that we wouldn’t be able to tolerate a single day of brutal honesty. The truth can be jarring, unsettling, and frightening. It’s in our nature to flee from it when it becomes painful. Ever since the Old Testament, when Adam and Eve deceived themselves into thinking they could hide from God (Genesis 3:8), and when Cain thought he could lie to God about murdering Abel (Genesis 4:9), humanity has rejected the pain, shame, and fear that comes from truth. And while we may all habitually lie to preserve the feelings of others or to maintain some privacy, in many other cases we get so used to lying to ourselves to avoid the distress that comes from truth that we no longer know what the truth is at all. That’s when we begin to deceive ourselves into thinking we’re truly living good and holy lives, or that we’re truly loving and caring people, all while not knowing just how far we’ve fallen.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3)

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

Jesus once said: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) No one ever said the truth was pleasant or comfortable. Odds are it usually is not, or we wouldn’t be so quick to embrace lies. Yet painful as it is, we can’t repent of a sin that we refuse to acknowledge. We can’t change a behavior that we’ve convinced ourselves is fine. And we can’t grow as people if we won’t admit something’s wrong with how we are now. Sooner or later we will have to face the truth. We can choose to do it now while we’re in this world…or wait until the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

I would suggest that we all take a moment today to talk to God and pray for honesty with ourselves, that no matter how painful, unsettling, and uncomfortable the experience may be, that we are able to see the truth and make the appropriate changes. Even if it’s too difficult to do all at once, may we at least all start making steps in the right direction.

To end on a note from James 1:22-25:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Suggested Prayer: “Lord God, thank you for your many promises in the Word, that are tried and true and a firm foundation for us when we feel insecure, unstable, unprotected, and afraid. Grant that we might be as honest with ourselves as you are with us. Encourage and strengthen us to accept your conviction and to seriously examine ourselves, and help us to repent of all self-deception so that we might not fall from the faith but continue to grow closer to Christ. And please confront me with whatever self-deception I have been practicing in my own life, no matter how difficult it may be. Gratefully in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”