To be honest

Have you ever tried to keep the peace by avoiding confrontation and just stuffing down the issue? I have. And it hurts. It hurts me. It hurts them. And it certainly hurts relationships. Instead of keeping the peace, it actually slowly erodes the relationship.

I stuff because:
· I don’t feel safe enough to confront this person.
· I don’t have the energy or the time to get into a conflict right now.
· I don’t know how to address it
· I don’t want to seem hypersensitive
· I don’t want to get rejected
· I don’t want to lose control
· I don’t want to make things worse so I convince myself I can just let it go

I want to keep the peace. I want to speak the truth in love. I want to be gentle not confrontational. I reinforce this thinking with, “Proverbs 15:19, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.” And these are good things. If I can do this without bitterness forming than great! That’s called healthy processing. Barriers shut communication down. Boundaries, as opposed to barriers, provide safe passage ways for communication to flow.

The difference between the two is honesty. Is honesty the best policy? Do you tell people the truth in business, relationships and in what you do? Do you make promises you know you can't keep?

When you say you'll do something or won't do something - it is your actions that will speak louder than your words. Fakes and liars usually get caught out eventually, so why start that way? Do you have a hidden agenda when you start a communication or tell half-truths to get what you want?

In a world that is short of honesty at the moment and full of fakes, you will stand out from the crowd. People find it refreshing and know you have integrity from what you say and how you say it. When you tell the truth, you will feel better about yourself and allow others to feel better that they can be open too.

Go on give it a try. Sometimes more problems are caused by what remains unsaid versus what is said.

Are you able to be honest today with someone or does it scare you that much?

How many lies do you tell yourself everyday? When you lie to yourself and argue with others (or self) about how things are, you are creating a reality that may not serve you best and may not be true or honest.

So take a stand for truth, honesty and integrity and watch your world change.

Blessings