Today is "National Honesty Day". So, to tell you the truth, I've never heard of this day until it was mentioned on two of my calendars. And so I posted on Facebook that this is, on the whole, a noble idea, but in the end, could have a lot of people distraught because of all the honesty out there.
A second mention that I made about this was on Twitter. Although on this posting, I recognized that whether it be for good or for bad, we must first be honest with ourselves. (Following with: #truth #knowthyself .) And, honestly, this is the greatest of life's challenges.
If we cannot be honest with ourselves, if we cannot look at who we are in the metaphorical mirror, then there is no way in which we can ever be honest and transparent in our relationships - including our relationship with God. This is why the great line from Shakespeare is often quoted: "To thine own self be true." We must really be honest with ourselves first in life if we want to not only find but truly secure true peace, total happiness, and genuine love.
The Gospel for today - Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter - is John 14.27-31a. This is the Gospel passage in which we hear Jesus promising to give us His gift of peace - true peace, the peace which the world cannot give. If we truly desire this peace, the first step is to stop lying to ourselves, and to graciously see ourselves for who we are. This includes all of our good points as well as all of our bad points.
And while honesty (total honesty) often hurts us like a third-degree burn, it's through the care of the Divine Physician that do we fully understand not only how healthy honesty can be, but also how healing it can be to one's soul when we are able to be truthful with ourselves. Of course, this is best accomplished when we come to know Truth Himself.
Before I entered seminary, a friend gave me a present: a rock. But she took the time to decorate this rock, and left a little reminder/quote/thought on said rock: "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." If I want others' encounters with me to be an encounter with Christ, in Whose Image I have been ordained, I must at all times be honest with myself first. This becomes the action of "owning" - my words, my thoughts, my actions, my attitude, my emotions, my reactions, etc. are known to me and accepted by me before, during and after any encounter with another - and, especially, my encounter with the Other.
The encounter that we have with the Truth enables us to know how we are seen by God. And in knowing this, we are able to have more honest and genuine encounters between each other. And in having more honest and genuine - and, dare I say, authentic! - encounters with one another (and the Other), the more the peace of Christ, that peace which the world cannot give, will dwell simply not just within me, but also with all those whom I encounter. This is how anyone who comes to me will leave better and happier: Honesty with myself, anchored in Truth Himself, and relying on that peace which comes from Christ alone will allow me to encounter my brothers and sisters in a genuine and authentic way.
"To thine own self be true." That's where it all begins. Yet the best way to be true to ourselves is to be anchored in Truth Himself. In the beginning, we may be overwhelmed and very disappointed in the lie that we've been living. But the more that we rely upon and live in the peace of Christ, the more of the truth we can bear, which, in turn, allows us to truly be more honest with ourselves and others.
Happy National Honesty Day!
Enjoy the journey . . .
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