I think when it comes to the story of Jacob and how he deceived his father, anyone would be appalled at the process of lying and deceit that took place in that story. What Jacob did leaves absolutely no black and white area for us to wonder - maybe he wasn’t really being deceitful?! I say this to make us ponder some things in our own life about our genuine honesty with others and with God.

It is so easy for us to detect a “huge lie”, but in God’s eyes there is no such thing. Deceit is deceit no matter how you package it. We may think just a little “white lie” will never hurt anyone, and it for sure won’t hinder our relationship with God, but as we tell one lie, another usually follows shortly because we find ourselves having to cover up for the first lie. I don’t have to go through the whole scenario…you get the point. Everyone can probably think of a time when this happened to them. The problem is that as this continues, deceit just becomes a part of life, and it is not thought of as sin. In our minds, we begin to justify why we are not honest and we eventually become numb to what truth really is. Our perception of truth becomes muddy, and it is no longer pure, raw, authentic, open, and sincere. It becomes something that leaves you asking questions, instead of questioning nothing.

Why is it so hard to make our lives an open book…with God and others? God already knows everything, yet at times I have difficulty being completely honest with him! We have nothing to loose if we are honest and truthful. God will bless an honest, humble heart. We are all on this spiritual journey together, so let’s just be honest and face the fact that all of us struggle with things like this, instead of pretending that we don’t!