I can hear Mike’s words in my head as I have heard him so many times telling people, “Good News Fast, Bad News Faster”. This is something that we have tried to live by and teach our children and those we lead in different arenas. I think everyone that works in the corporate center at Wells’ Enterprises has heard this and seen it lived out at Wells’. It doesn’t matter who we are or what we do, there are opportunities every day to see how important this principle is.
Mark Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” It is such a freeing way to live! Duplicity will wear you out! Have you seen this or experienced it personally in your own life? Maybe you have been caught in this trap in some way. It can just start out in little ways. Have you heard of a white lie or a half truth? I think we should all be honest and admit that there have been times that we have been tempted to tell half of what we know, or not say anything because in some way we justify it to protect ourselves or someone else.
Here at Habitué, I tell everyone that I hire about “Good News Fast, Bad News Faster”. We talk through what that means and how it could play out. I tell our team that they won’t lose their job for making a mistake, but if they lie and try to cover up a mistake or don’t come and tell me right away and try to solve the problem on their own, they have waited too long. Why would we wait too long to go to someone when we mess up? To try to make it better and take care of it on our own, maybe even so that they won’t have to tell anyone at all.
Honesty is really about guarding your heart. Proverbs 4:23-25 says, “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you. Let your eyes look right on (with fixed purpose) and let your gaze be straight before you.”
So when you think about a little child lying to you and how they might look, it makes me think of this verse from Proverbs. And we know it is not just kids and it is not just always others. I pray that God would bring conviction to me or to anyone that is struggling with being honest and living in honest, authentic relationships. If we have one face in one place and another face somewhere or with someone else, we have a deeper problem.
And it is a problem of the heart.
We have an enemy and he wants us to cooperate with him and open a door that he can go through and have access to our hearts and lives. All he needs is a small crack and he will push his way through or wait for the door to open just a little more! Yes, it happens just that easy! We open the door of our hearts a little teeny crack and in doing that, we have given the enemy a door of access to our heart. So be careful next time you are tempted to tell a little white lie or even to do something that is not honest. May we always be honest and work and live honest by doing the right thing for the right reason. Always stand for what is right and if someone tells you to do something that goes against what you know is right, then question it!
As a young girl I had experienced some things that were just not right, and then I believed the lie of the enemy that I keep the secret and not tell safe adults what was going on. What a trap for me! And what a trap it is for any of us. That was the beginning of duplicity in my life and it took the truth of God’s word and the mercy and grace of God to set me free. God has set my heart free and I don’t ever want to go back! But I have to be diligent to guard my heart above all else! When my heart becomes entangled in a mess and I feel torn two different ways, then I have to go back and ask why. Things will become pretty clear when we stop and pray and ask God why. He will always show us the truth and point the way and help us. Just ask!
