Such a small word but such a powerful message. From an early age, parents encourage children to “tell the truth” and “honesty is the best policy”. With oft-repeated phrases like “the truth will set you free,” children are regularly indoctrinated to the benefits of honesty.
Holding fast to the truth can be inconvenient, though doing so has incredible power. As a youth I once threw a snowball that accidentally broke a window at a rival school. While my “friends” scattered, I walked into the school, and like a basketball player claiming a foul, I raised my hand and admitted the error. A few minutes later I was in an office mono-y-mono with the principal. As I admitted my wrong, he was gracious and let me off with little more than a handshake, a thank you, and a stern warning. I will always remembered the power of his grace in the light of my confession.
But do we truly understand the value of truth? What’s the harm in a little lie, really? Well, imagine that you’re in the ocean on a boat, so far from land that all you can see is water. Waves crash up against the boat, but you remain steadfast on the top of the water. Now let’s imagine that lies make holes in that boat. Every lie, no matter how small, starts one more leak until the boat begins to sink. With enough lies, the…
