Exercises For The Soul - Honesty

"God commands that we be honest in all things. When we lie,cheat, or steal, we open ourselves wide to Satan's influene and close ourselves to God's influence. If we want to have the Spirit to guide and comfort us, we must be honest with God, with ourselves, and with other people." ( FHE Resource Manuel).

Ask: Each member of your family to give the definition of a lie. Compare it with Marvin J. Ashton's: "A lie is any communication given to another with the intent to deceive" (Conference Report Apr. 1982 p. 10 or Ensign. May 1982, p. 9).

Explain: We can communicate a lie without ever speaking a word. A nod of the head or just keeping silent can deceive.

Ask: What are some ways we can deceive? (Recommending a questionable business investment, pretending not to hear mother call, using flattery to get our way, or withholding immportant facts).

True story: While I taught piano lessons, Sara loved to cook even though she was only about six years old. One day she decided to make cookies. In between piano students I went into the kitchen and saw beautiful, warm cookies on the counter. They were light and fluffy and cooked to perfection so I quickly ate a few. My next piano student came so I began teaching. About half way through the next lesson I began to feel a rumbling in my tummy and I was so thirsty I couldn't get enough to drink. When I asked Sara about the cookies she said,"i couldn't remember whether to add 1/2 teaspoon or 1/2 cup of baking soda." She had added 1/2 cup which is about 50 times more than a recipe usually calls for.
I learned a valuable lesson from this experience. Just because something looks beautiful and good on the outside doesn't mean the inside is good. I wanted my inside to be good too, even though no one could tell for sure what it was like by looking at the outside.
Being honest is like that. You may not be totally honest inside. Even no one will know from the outside, there will always be a bad feeling inside.

Activity: You will need to have asked one family member in advance to answer each question falsely. Ask that member a simple question - for example, "Where were you just before FHE?" As he or she answers falsely wrap a long string or yarn around him once. then ask a follow-up question - or example, "Why were you there? As he answers falsely again, wrap the string around him once more. Continue to ask him follow-up questions, wrapping the string around him each time he gives a false answer. Explain that you asked the person to give false answers to show how one lie leads to another one and how fast we can become trapped by lies.

Discuss: how easy it is to tell a lie. Point out that even the smallest lie is a sin. (See D & C 42:21.) Be sure the members of your family understand they can repent of any lies they may have told.

Persons of the week: Kennedy Oman and her mom who came to visit this weekend and made delicious Valentine's cookies which we are still enjoying.