'LIAR' ... WHO, ME??

BY ANN SEBRING

It can be pretty tempting to judge other people sometimes. Many of us may label others a particular way, with or without realizing what we're doing. But worst of all, we may end up labeling ourselves. I think the opposite of judging is authenticity. When we judge or label ourselves or others, we're not being authentic, real—nor seeing the genuine nature of a person.

Throughout my childhood, and up to my sophomore year in high school, I used to lie about practically everything. Sometimes without even knowing it, I'd lie about what I'd been doing, where I really had been, or even the things I was going to do. At first it started with "innocent" white lies. My mom would ask if I'd done my homework, and I'd say yes when really I hadn't. Then it turned into a game for me: a competition between my lying skills and my mom's ability to discern the truth. I'd make up excuses and try to avoid her questions.

When my mom sensed that I wasn't being truthful, she would always say that God, Truth, would reveal what was really going on. (My mother and others did realize some of what was going on.) Then the lies began to feel like a competition with God, Truth itself. During times when I wasn't allowed to e-mail, call, or hang out with my boyfriend, I would try to find a way where I could still use my computer for homework and then talk to him over instant messaging.