Lying to Yourself?
Have you ever lied to yourself? Here are some examples of what I mean:1. A friend did an unwise thing and said that it wasn't the wisest thing to do. He did it again and said the same afterward. This then becomes a regular occurrence now and he says the same every time. Does he really believe his actions are not the wisest?
2. People, myself included, have said they really want to do devotions regularly and pray more often but they just got too busy and never got around to them. They really mean it when they say this. If they really want to do something, would they not do it than make up excuses?
3. Someone genuinely says he/she loves someone be it to a lover, family member, or friend yet his actions show otherwise. Does he really love this person?
My question is do we have lies that we tell ourselves? If so, are we going to face the truth like realizing that we don't love God as we say we do or continue to believe in our own lies? If the latter then how can we tell the truth to others when we can't even tell the truth to ourselves?
posted by Mercy Now @ 10:13 PM
8 Comments:
I'm not sure you can necessarily assume it is are lying to yourself. As fallen people we can have things (good intentions) that we are unable to alway carry through with because of our frailty. We can do nothing without God and if we rely on our strength then we will fail. Also there are circumstances where, despite our desire to do one thing, additional desires/needs also come into play that override the other. However, I will agree that many things we say or intend to do we do not mean or do because we do not really believe them in the first place. A little more honesty in this world would do well to start with ourselves.
1. Insanity - doing the same thing over and over while expecting/hoping for different results. Be careful around this guy.
2. Seed sown on rocky ground. Or wishful thinking without reliance on the Power to change the will.
3. If the actions don't show it, then the statement could be, respectively, self-serving, obligatory, or polite. Be careful around this person, too.
"Step 1. Admit that you have a problem."
Somewhere along the line, if I've heard it correctly, you should admit that you're powerless to do anything without help from that Higher Power...
Anon makes a decent point--but perhaps the best counterpoint would be that previous generations did consider good intentions and no follow-through to be a lie.
Now to get off my lazy, fat duff and carry out that intention to get in shape!
Ah, very good points by all. If you have good intention and never do it is a lie has become it doesn't matter what your actions are as long as you have good intention is what counts. As a result, I have every intention of giving world peace, rid poverty, and make everyone rich. There! I'm such a great person. NOT!
DEEEP!
That is pretty deep.
I would have to say that yes we are lying to ourself. I say many things that I honestly and truly mean to do but find myself consistently not doing them. I want to write stories, learn to draw, and, even more important, get closer to my God but I seem to fall astray every single time.
At this point I'm definitely not being honest to myself. Those sort of lies are ones that become habit and are like ruts that people get trapped in. Escape from these traps is not easy.
Just a few thoughts.
Thank you for posting it cause it pokes at my own lies that I tell myself.
"Lying to Yourself?"
Unfortunately, yes. But in the immortal words of the guy from Monty Python and the Holy Grail "But I'm getting better."
Where did your excellent post about lying to others go, Mercy? (see, even if I don't always comment, I am reading!) :^)
At any rate, the troubles we have with deceiving ourselves and others seem to really reflect Romans 7 quite a bit. "Pyromaniacs" did a little blurb on it a few weeks back, pointing out that this wrestling with sin is not just for the unbeliever!
Post a Comment
<< Home