As I read one of my devotions today, I thought of my own life and how often lies or even hiding the truth has brought me such great emotional pain from those whom were not honest. Charles Stanley said “Why is it so easy to lie? Telling a falsehood is something we all did as children, but lying can trip up even longtime Christians. The underlying motive for giving in to deception is usually a desire to protect ourselves in some way. We lie to get out of trouble, to avoid an unwanted situation, to profit financially, to receive acceptance, to bolster our image, to hide our flaws, or for other self-serving reasons”.  Even if you feel you can hide indefinitely, the truth will almost always be revealed. When it is, the pain you may have caused will be far greater than if you had been honest from the on-set. The betrayal by knowing you were not only deceptive, but had tried to hide it for years, exacerbates the dishonesty. Giving the gift of honesty can be more valuable that being deceptive. Proverbs 11:3 (NKJV)³ The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.