We human programs have very similar operating systems. We’ve been downloaded with a near-universal tendency to tell a “white lie” to stay out of trouble, avoid blame or criticism, and keep from hurting others’ feelings.
When we tell a “white lie”, it’s very common to think that we’re “helping to make things better”. Often, we precede the phrase “white lie” by the word “little”, to further minimize its moral wrongness.
If we decide not to tell any more “little white lies”, we make a bold step into an area from which we will, in all likelihood, retreat in the fairly near future. The advance and retreat are not without some redeeming benefit. We should make the commitment, “No more little white lies.” along with the promise “I am going watch myself closely the next time I am tempted to tell a little white lie.”
When we have that temptation, we should stop and think about it, much the way a person who’s stopped smoking thinks about the repercussions of “What if I just smoke one cigarette?” We need to examine ourselves and our motives by asking questions on spiritual exercises, too. “Do I really need to tell this lie? What will happen if I tell the truth, instead? God, right this minute, is watching to see what I’m going to do. What does He want me to do?”
There will be times that we’ll give into worldly, human pressure and tell a little white lie. But, there will be times that we won’t. It is upon those successful attempts to avoid bearing false witness that we build the foundation upon which we grow closer to God.
Our failures, when recognized, should be followed by, “God, I gave in to what was easy and told a lie. Please, give me the strength to not do that in the future.” The Loving Programmer never fails to provide programming assistance to those who sincerely request it.
It is an odd manifestation of our common programming that we will, if a doctor orders, do exercises designed to strengthen weak parts of our bodies. We less frequently apply “You really need to exercise more.” to our minds. We should heed the need for moral strengthening even when we see that our souls need to be stronger. Avoiding little white lies is a much more rigorous, and important, exercise than any number of pushups, pull ups, and brain-teasers.
