Honesty

Let me start this off with a question... how honest are you? Lets say someone were to ask your family, your wife, your kids. What would they say? What if someone were to ask your friends, co-workers. What would they say? Now lets say that same someone were to ask God...what would he say? When I look at these questions I am forced to see a major hurdle I need to get over. I am a liar...I will lie about small stuff, I will lie about big stuff. I will just lie.. Why? what has is gotten me? has it made me successful? has it helped my health? has it made my relationships stronger? The only answer I can come up with is NO! so why do I do it? One reason that has been on my mind lately is I am ashamed. I have so many skeletons in my closet that I have been trying so hard to lock away that when someone asks "hey, is that a skeleton?" I will say, no...its a water buffalo.... how ridiculous is that...like the people around me are going to run in fear if I leave the door open. Most people are so shocked at the face of honesty it makes them aspire to be the same way. We all have skeletons. The problem comes when we cant admit we do. Our relationships would be so much stronger, our world we be such a better place if everyone were honest. we would realize that there are more people like ourselves. We are a world of messed up people all pretending we are great, that we have it all together. Well it all starts with us. With Men. We are the leaders, like it or not, we are the ones who can start the change. Look at our children. They look up to us. Little boys want to grow up to be just like daddy, little girls want to marry a man just like daddy. How can we instill a lasting change if our own children cant trust us to be honest. If we are not the role models.....who is? That is a very scary question. The tough part of honesty is showing that yes, we make mistakes, we are vulnerable to outside influences, we make bad choices...If we are not completely honest we miss the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, our vulnerabilities. Now sometimes we are unable to openly discuss some of our issues with our children, or families. That is were friends come into play. Let me take this to another level. lets say you have died, and you are watching your funeral from Heaven. Just look at all the flowers, all the pictures of you. Now look at all the people there. How many of them do you really know? how many of them really know you. Look, here comes your casket...there are six people carrying your body to your grave. Now comes the eulogy...what will they say? will it be the normal...he was a nice man...he was a good father....he ate eggs and bacon for breakfast...OR, will it truly be a celebration of your life, a re-telling of your hopes and dreams played out again in front of your friends and family, where there is laughter and admiration, where people spend most of the time reminiscing on how you really touched there lives, on how you inspired someone to do something great, or how you changed someones life because they could so closely relate to you. How many people would have something to say? Would the six people that carried what remains of your time on this planet know enough about you to each speak? Or when the pastor asks if anyone would like to say a few words is there a silence that makes everyone uncomfortable. Jesus walked this earth for decades before he was known. However in a few short years of his ministry he changed the world. He did this by being open, and being willing to allow anyone into his world, by not judging, by sharing his hopes, his dreams, his wishes, his thoughts. He did it by being what everybody wanted...someone who will accept you for whatever you are, for whatever you believe, whatever your thoughts... A TRUE FRIEND. How many opportunity's have you missed because you felt ashamed to tell somebody something. What connections have you missed by not speaking up in a group. I would encourage all of us to become like Jesus...Honest, Open, and willing to do nothing but love. We all suffer in one for or another. Why do it alone? I believe it is time for a healing.Not just for ourselves, but for everyone we know, and everyone they know, and for everyone they know.  Be the change you want to see in the world. Be someone, someone would like to be. Become a role model. Become someone more like Jesus! our world needs it! Honesty is a very powerful tool. Honesty with ourselves, with others, and with God...IT CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS!! I would encourage you to share a struggle you have been facing with someone. It is going to take trust and courage. Just know, God is always with you! He will not leave you. Take that leap of faith...when you do, you will realize you can fly!!!

I thank you for giving me some of your time to read this. I pray it reaches the people that need it. I know it helps me to write this stuff down. If you need prayer, or just someone to listen, I would be honored to give you of my time. Leave me a message and a way to contact you, or if you need you can e-mail me at scottyzclem@gmail.com. Thank you and God bless

This is my story...whats yours?