Truth is the standard I want to use to define and describe my life. I would aspire to people saying things like,“He was and is a ‘truth-teller.’” Actually, that’s not too noble because it is the standard laid out in the Scripture for every Christ-follower. Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” That’s one of many passages that speak to the topic of truthfulness. Collectively, we could all say, “Duh!” or “Of course.” But with that baseline statement, let me add an observation.
It’s April 3rd, and for most Americans, it’s less than two weeks until “tax day,” the day income taxes are due. Individuals, families, and businesses usually do their best to demonstrate how “little” income they had for the past year, hoping to pay the least amount of tax legally. This makes sense.
However, the same people with the same income will do everything they can to inflate their income and worth when applying for a loan. The income hasn’t changed, but it’s expressed differently depending on who or what you’re trying to accomplish. Like I said, it’s just an observation, but perhaps it is a reminder to all of us…including me, that truth must never be manipulated for our benefit. I’m not saying “Don’t do your due diligence to find an accurate manner of accounting of your funds.” In fact, be tactful, but don’t hide, camouflage, or deceive in the process. You might hear other things rather than “truth-teller.”