Telling Whoppers

Telling Whoppers

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.

Glasses and silverware clinked, their bell tones muffled slightly by the striped placemats gracing the table. My husband and I were finishing up dinner with another couple, and as we served dessert, the conversation turned to our friend’s work. As a church staff member, she spent a lot of time with the youth group and had a number of humorous stories about the teenagers with whom she interacted daily.

But she paused, sobering, as she reflected on one student in particular. He was generous to a fault and extremely good-natured, she said, but he had a problem: he told whoppers. Obvious, unable-to-cover-the-untruth whoppers. He would pretend that he already knew someone he’d never met before, or “talk” to distant family or friends on his phone with no one on the other end of the line. When the other students realized his untruths, they would sometimes tease or ignore him.

My friend seemed frustrated. “I wish he knew that he didn’t have to pretend,” she said. “He’s so likable as himself.”

Later on, I reflected on that conversation. I don’t think I tell outright lies, at least most of the time. But how often have I conveniently left out an unflattering bit of information during a conversation, or untagged myself from a social media photo I didn’t like? One time I pretended that I had eaten squab in the past so that I didn’t look foolish in front of a waiter at a fancy restaurant—something my husband has teased me about mercilessly.

Many of us fall prey to the idea that, in friendship, a little more or less explanation might make us seem more palatable to others. We’re worried that who we are by ourselves might not be good enough. Yet we know that, in God, we can have a holy confidence. He made us with intention and has called us to accomplish very specific tasks. He does not make mistakes. Let us resolve to live out that confidence in the friendships he has provided for us, knowing that we need not pretend to be anyone other than who we are.

— Kristin

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

The next time you are tempted to give a half-truth about an aspect of your character, don the holy confidence of God and choose honesty instead.