Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
I remember hearing this scripture a lot growing up. It teaches us what we need to look for in life, things that are lovely, of good report, praiseworthy; and what we need to be like: Honest, just, pure, virtuous, true. The key to all of these things in being honest.
It’s really interesting how one virtue can lead to all the rest. When we are honest, we are also just. We are also pure, virtuous and true. And when we are these things, we seek to surround ourselves with like people and things. So being honest is very, very important.
Being honest can be hard sometimes. I remember several times when I was little when I would say no when my mom asked me if I had made whatever mess it was or broken whatever item was broken. I was so afraid of getting in trouble, but I always felt guilty afterwards. I didn’t understand until I was older that by being dishonest, no matter how inconsequential it was, that I was tarnishing myself and making it easier for myself to make that same mistake later in life. Once I made the decision to not do that anymore, doing things right became easier.
Making it a habit to be honest came in quite handy when I was working in a law firm in Oklahoma. One of my coworkers got in trouble and decided to shift the focus off of himself by telling some lies about me. When my boss talked to me about it, she took my word over his even though she was good friends with him because she knew I didn’t lie about other things and I’d always been up front about mistakes I’d made. That knowledge saved my job, which I was very grateful for.
As we strive to be honest in everything we do, it becomes easier to be better at other virtues and we receive great blessings. There have been several times when I’ve been going through my receipt on the way out to my car and realized that I wasn’t charged for an item in my cart. It may seem like I would be justified in just packing up my items and going home since it was the employee’s mistake, but it just doesn’t feel right. Sometimes I receive the immediate blessing of getting the item for free, but other times I receive blessings of another nature later on. Either way, there is always a good result from my doing the right thing.
When we are honest, it is much easier to be fair in our dealings with other, just in our treatment of others and kind to everyone we come in contact with. Honesty is such a powerful virtue because when we are honest in all things, people trust us more and we have greater confidence in our ability to do good. We also become more like the Savior and find it easier to follow His teachings. The Savior accomplished so much good and influenced so many people and part of it is because He never lied, cheated, intentionally misled or hid information from His followers. He was honest about everything and that gave Him great power. When we are honest, we have access to those blessings and that power.
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