Live Life With No Regrets!

"So do you think I look fat in this dress?"

That's a question perhaps that some guys have to contend with.

What is being honest? And when do you keep a secret?

In war, you have to keep secrets, Sun Tzu said that all war is based on deception. You must not let your enemy know your intentions beforehand. And war is waged in many areas, business, and love among them.

Secrets are needed to protect. Secrets protect a person from harm, from people who would want to exploit that for their own gains. Secrets are used to manoeuvre yourself into a better position, to allow you to gain the upper-hand.

In the Bible, the spies who went to Jericho had to do so in secret. Samson had to keep the source of his strength secret. Esther kept her background secret in the courts of the king.

Keeping secrets is not dishonesty. Honesty can be defined as not lying, nor stealing or attempting to deceive.

So what then is secrecy? Isn't it an attempt to deceive?

Proverbs 11:13 says "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret."

Jesus told us that our giving should be done in secret. (Matt 6:3-4)

Even the Father keeps secrets from man, including the day of Judgment, that even Christ himself does not know.

Jesus went to the feast of the tabernacles in secret. (John 7:10)

So then, what about honesty? The 10 commandments plainly state that we cannot be false witnesses.

Perhaps the answer lies in what is the more righteous thing to do as well as the timing. As Solomon says in Ecclesiastes there is a time for everything.

Are we keeping secrets to protect dignity or to hide sin? Are we showing discretion or living in fear? Are the consequences of honesty worse where it may cause more harm or injury than the consequences of secrecy? Will my words and action build up someone or will it tear him or her down?

Perhaps it can be summed up, what is the most loving thing to do. Not the least painful nor the least hurtful, but what is the most loving thing.