Truth is something that we all generally cherish and desire. When it comes to buying a house or a second-hand car, no one wants to be left with a lemon that does not work or an electricity problem that requires a lot of money to fix. We want people to tell us the truth before any purchase. With healthcare and doctors, we trust them to be honest with us, to give us all the information we need to make an informed decision. We do not want to take a drug or a vaccine without knowing all the risks, we want them to tell us if we have cancer so that we can make appropriate life plans. Truth matters, also in personal and business relationships. If we cannot trust another person to pay the agreed wage, if we constantly need to check and control their words, then it will not be long before we stop taking their cheques, before we stop asking them for help. When trust is broken, people naturally drift apart. Truth matters, it is something we cherish and desire.

Sadly, in our fallen world, and as a result of our sinful natures, truth is hard to find. Lies are far more widespread and common, we have grown used to expecting some kind of catch. The best deals always come with small print. Nothing is quite like it seems. This is a big frustration of course—we lament the sad state of affairs, but we tend to forget that we are part of the problem. Yes, we want the truth, but when it comes to ourselves, when there is a threat to our honour or our pockets, well then, we lie without a second thought.

I don’t want my wife to know that I am unrighteously angry, and so I lie and say everything is well even though I am fuming inside because of something she said or refused to do. I am late to a scheduled meeting, and so I blame the traffic as if I did not know there were going to be other cars on the road. Not me thinking my time is more important than that of others, not me failing to plan ahead, someone else is to blame. I am pulled over by the police at night driving home from a visit with friends. There is no chance that I will admit to having that small glass of wine.

It is amazing when you think of it how often and how easily a lie comes to our tongues. Every day, more than once. It is a habit we are probably not even aware of. In fact, many of us only consider something to be a lie when it is a deliberate, conscious, and consistent effort to misdirect someone. In all other cases it is just the way things work—nothing to get overly worked up about.