Greetings Dear Reader,
Being back in the South makes one well aware of the lies we
grew up telling. I am not talking about the
lies we use to deceive and avoid guilt or discovery. I am talking about the social lies we tell
each other every day. The lies we tell
to drift through interactions with ease and to avoid discomfort.
I watch this unfold at social gatherings often. One person enquires as to the state of
another and in most cases, the little lie is told. We are fine.
Things are going well. Instead of
honest responses, we give out the expected social response. Last Tuesday I encountered an acquaintance whom
I know well enough to stop and have a conversation. She was standing, crying in a store.
As I approached, I could see her try to pull herself
together. I inquired, “What is
wrong? How can I help you?”
She looked at me with deep green, watered makeup, raccoon
eyes and said through freely flowing tears, “Oh I am fine.”
I stepped through the lie and said, “I am not going to
pry. I care that you are having
difficulty. Is there anything I can do for
you?”
She proceeded to tell me that she was overwhelmed by some news
she had just received. I listened. We prayed right there by the pretzels and crisps. She managed a wane smile when we were done. Inside the pretty little lie was the
opportunity to help.
One of the truths about lies is that if we tell them enough,
we begin to believe them. The lie we believe, that we are “fine” is rarely true. The
truth we must find behind pour social lies is that there are others who will
care. We do matter more than we
think.
We also lie to ourselves by thinking we are right and others
are wrong. We do not hear our approach
and assume that we are just being honest when what we are doing is lying. We think that we are softer, more diplomatic,
and more in the right that we actually are.
We are cloaking our own failure to be inclined to the hearts of others in
escalation and argument. This lie hurts
us and others.
These poor social interactions, coupled with others make for
lumpy rugs that eventually trip us all.
The entire idea of communication is supposed to be an exchange of honest
love with humility and grace. Instead, we
build a social house of cards that is easily toppled with the first wind of
honesty. When it falls, if that honesty
is not loving, kind, and gentle, we are not serving that which is good. We are not following as we should Dear
Reader.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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