Truth and Neighbors (Ephesians 4:25-5:2)

Ephesians is such a great epistle, but I want to just mention one verse:

 So then put aside what is false and let each one speak the truth to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. — Ephesians 4:25

The polite lie is a common means of keeping tempers cool.  We do it all the time.  We pretend to like coworkers that we loathe, we don’t tell important people what we really think about their ideas, and we try to pretend that our attitude is good.  At work, we may well be penalized if we don’t put on the right set of attitudes.  Your boss probably doesn’t want to know you have a hangover, your kids drove you nuts this morning, and you can barely see your desk, much less work at it efficiently.  So you say, “Great!”

But we do it even more in church.  I’m talking about the “faith face.” It seems that many people believe Christians should never be sad or downhearted, and thus to be spiritually great, one must not only deal with hardship, one must always present a cheerful demeanor to the world and to other Christians.  After all, if someone finds out that not everything works out for you, a Christian, they might be put off of the gospel.

But this approach very often produces the opposite effect.  When a person who is looking honestly at his life notices all these cheerful faces around him, however deceitful those cheerful looks might be, he may become discouraged, because he thinks he’s the only person who lacks the faith to remain cheerful in adversity.

Now this is not the only case in which speaking the truth is important.  But it is one in which many Christians hurt others while intending to help.  Put away everything that is false, including your faith face.  Be honest and open.  At the same time, be ready for others to be honest and open, and don’t condemn them.