check yourself before you shipwreck yourself .

HONESTY. - "Tell me the truth", "Don't you lie to me", "liar, liar, pants on fire." Although we are encouraged to tell the truth at a very young age, it has always been hard to be completely honest. you see, honesty is a complicated but courageous characteristic. It takes a lot to reveal something about yourself, own up to mistakes, or tell someone something that they don't want to hear. you risk the chance of losing friends, opportunities, and rewards ... it's often hard to decide between ease or integrity . telling the truth is not the most 'convenient' thing to do, but it's possibly one of the most rewarding.

but, this is where things get tricky . some people thrive from being 'brutally honest' without admitting that their intentions are all in disarray. if you notice, those people are more concerned about making people feel uncomfortable than bringing enlightenment to a situation . they want to be known as the person who "doesn't give a f*ck"- but that does not mean a person is REAL . the two are not synonymous . speaking, just to hear yourself speak makes you about as real as standing in a garage makes you a car .

As if it couldn't get more complicated, honesty is the most vital when it comes to ourselves. it is so hard for people to be honest with themselves about flaws, circumstances, truths, and accountability. I would never suggest that we scrutinize ourselves about our personal "truths", but i would definitely recommend coming to terms with those demons that haunt us. At times, God puts people or circumstances in our paths that cause us to put a mirror to ourselves. sometimes, we see things about ourselves that we like . We are more generous, loving, have more skills, funnier than we ever knew . Other times, we are let down by ourselves - we're enlightened to bad habits, some insecurities, emotional walls we have built, or cracks in our moral compass.

Nevertheless, being honest with others and ourselves is only a stepping stone to improving . How can you change something about yourself that you wont admit needs work ? NO one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and even when we try to do better, we may stumble . start there, and then "be real" with yourself .

1 Timothy 1:19 - "Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked."