Guest Editorial May 23, 2016 ISSUE

The deep honesty that supports Christ-healing

Curt Wahlberg

Honesty is like a well-wrapped present. To discover what it has to give us, there’s some investment involved in getting us past what we see at the surface. It’s certainly more than some ethical ideal about not telling lies. Consider how often we’ve seen someone’s frankness move the conversation along to a point that’s perhaps initially uncomfortable, but which turns out to be rather helpful. Honesty that is motivated by faith in truth and love of others, when unwrapped and understood, can deliver big blessings.

One obvious benefit of honesty is the freedom from shame that it brings. For example, admitting a mistake proves better than dealing with the shame of feeling that we need to lie because our lives can’t stand up to the circumstances we find ourselves in. And as we consider some of the situations in our world today, where individual, corporate, or governmental corruption and deception have led to broken relationships, ignored rights, or distrust among nations, we come to understand more of the need for and benefits of honesty.

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