This Day in History: 0000-08-30

August 30 – Psalms 34:11-14

Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?
Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!
Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Most of us know the value of honesty when it comes to other people. A lot of us have been deeply hurt by the lies of another! But how many of us have the same commitment to goodness and truth when it comes to what escapes our own lips? I can’t see your heart, or know where you stand on this, but I can tell you something I had to learn the hard way:

When the extent of my husband’s unfaithfulness came to light and I realized just how vast the scope of his lies had been, I went into a season of deep reflection. Truth became an undefined, illusive idea to me for a time rather than a hard and fast line of real and false. I questioned everything I had ever believed.

As God pursued me through that time He began to reveal some things in my life that simply didn’t line up with His Word. The harsh reality of one such issue exposed my tendency to more or less lie in an attempt to “keep the peace” in my home.

I suddenly had to face the fact that I had let this go so far, I barely even knew who I was anymore. I had become completely undefined. When asked how I was or what I thought, I gave innocuous answers meant to keep everyone happy and the attention off me. Most of the time, those answers were lies! God convicted me deeply that if I expected truth from others it was time for me to start telling the truth myself. If I was going to have any hope for a better tomorrow, I had to stop living in fear of the reactions of others and start living in fear of the One who holds my future!

It was tough to change. Old habits die hard, but when I was asked what was wrong I had to stop answering, “Nothing.” When asked for input on something I had an opinion about I had to stop saying, “Whatever you want is fine.” I had to start naming and explaining my emotions, and start voicing my thoughts and opinions.

I’m far from perfect, but I’ve made a lot of progress in the years since then! Wouldn’t you know, my house is a lot more peaceful now than it ever was when I was sinfully trying to “keep the peace” through corrupt tactics. Even more important, as I’ve learned to fear the Lord above man He has honored my obedience with a sense of peace within myself that can’t be shaken, even when external circumstances are a mess! So, I will work hard to maintain it, and continue to obey.

I finally know who I am. I am His dearly loved daughter, and I want to always obey my Daddy! So, I’ll try my hardest to keep my tongue from speaking evil and my lips from telling lies. I will turn away from evil and do good! I will search for peace and work hard to maintain it! I will fear the Lord!