They often say that the truth hurts. Oh yeah, the truth hurts, but guess what, its good soul food. It is never easy to say the truth, especially when it is someone you care about.


But ask yourself these questions:


1) Will lying make the truth easier to bear?
2) Does sugar coating a lie make it easier to swallow?
3) Will you sleep easier when you lie to someone?
4) Does it make the person stronger when you withhold the truth?


The truth be told, a lie can never make anyone feel better. The bible teaches us that when we intend to speak the truth to someone or to correct, we should do so gently [ A soft answer turneth away wrath; But a grievous word stirreth up anger - Proverbs 15:1] You should never try to be harsh or overbearing, your words should be seasoned with salt. Wisdom teaches us that the more we push against the truth, the more the lie is exposed. Its like an old Jamaican proverb, "the more the monkey climbs, the more he is exposed."


When we tell someone the truth, we should do so in love. We are not taking our love away, we are building our love for that person by laying that rock solid foundation which is honesty.


When I was 14 years old I told my parents, "oh Mom and Dad I want to be an artist, so I want to study art." My Dad looked at me and said "no". I was hurt to the bone, it was my passion and my love. So I said, "why?", any reasonable child would ask that. He said, "son you could never pay your bills, adn you would have to be an exceptional artist". I was so mad. But when I thought about it carefully and analysed his words, he was so right. I wasn't a great artist, and you had to be in the business for at least 10-15 years  to make a name, and even that wasn't guaranteed. It hurt real bad, but it was the truth. If they had lied, it may have ended in disaster.


Often times we have friends who say what we to hear. But is it good? No way. Jesus when he was on earth would be willing to say the truth without even pausing. He wanted persons to be aware of their sinful condition and there was no compromise. Jesus was never afraid to be honest or truthful. Lets look at how he spoke to the ruler of the synagogue regarding sabbath keeping, " But the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? Luke 13:15" In Matthew 16:4, he refers to the Pharisees and Sadduces saying, " An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of Jonah. And he left them, and departed." There are so many other instances of Jesus's truthfulnesses that it would fill many pages. A truth saves us, not a lie. A lie only makes a bad wound deeper, it never heals.


In relationships with each other, if we chose to tell the truth whatever the outcome, things would be better. People would know where they stand, and they would not have to assume or guess what we think. This applies to every single relationship that we have in this life.


But the starting point must begin with love as the cornerstone. If we do as the bible teaches us, "that we should love our neighbours as ourselves - Mark 12:31", then it is here that we truly appreciate what being truthful does. If we love someone, then we will tell them the truth without even thinking. We just have to "suck it up" and start doing it today. Start with the simplest situation. For example, if someone comes to you and says I want to buy a phone that costs $500. You should ask, do you need a phone that costs so much? If the response is no. Then our answer should be no to them. But with our answer there should also be an explanation, such as, "you can get  similar phone for $150 that would do the same thing."


So you see, even when you tell the truth, you should always explain why. You can't just say the truth without explanation, as least in some situations. Jesus Christ said the truth but he often explained the why? He even went further to speak of the consequences of one's actions versus the next route. Take the truth about one's salvation. The bible teaches us the painful truth that there are two roads. One road leads to heaven, and the other road leads to hell. It teaches the truth that if we live our life in an unrighteous manner, then we will go to hell. But if we live righteously, submitting totally to God, then we will go to heaven.


So we can see that the truth can have painful choices, but in the end the result is like sweet aroma sailing into heaven...