Honesty is the foundation of any healthy and fulfilling relationship. It’s the glue that holds partners, friends, and family members together, fostering trust, respect, and communication. It is essential for building strong, lasting bonds.
Growing up, my parents labored to nurture this virtue in us as their children. It was one of the hardest things to do especially when raising teens that want to live life on their terms.
Regardless of the circumstances, they tried their best to instill this value in me and my siblings at the family level, and I have seen its relevance in other aspects of life in my journey of life.
In my own experience, I have realized that it is really hard to maintain a stable and healthy relationship with a dishonest person. I am going to explain why in the following points that I believe explain why honesty is vital:
Honesty builds trust, which is truly the cornerstone of any relationship. I believe that when we’re truthful, we demonstrate reliability and integrity, allowing others to feel secure and confident in our words and actions. When we break that, it becomes hard to have healthy and strong bonds in our relationships.
I also believe honesty encourages open and clear communication, preventing misunderstandings and conflicts. When we express ourselves truthfully, we avoid mixed signals and ensure we’re on the same page in our relationships.
Often times than not, it creates emotional intimacy, allowing us to connect on a deeper level especially for relationships that require that. Vulnerability and authenticity foster closeness and understanding. I actually do not think that any kind of intimacy built on lies, hiding secrets and being untruthful can last. When the truth is discovered, it really hurts and for some people, it is hard for most people to trust again.
I have also learnt that honesty as a virtue, encourages personal growth and self-awareness. By acknowledging our mistakes and weaknesses, we can learn and improve together with our friends, encouraging understanding, forgiveness and gracefulness. When an individual is consistently dishonest, it destroys trust and leads to suspicion and doubt amongst friends.
Truthfully, lies and deception cause pain, resentment, and conflict unnecessarily among people. I usually ask myself, “what’s the worst that can happen?” Just say the truth and let life have its way. It’s more painful to discover the truth, than to be told the truth.
I have realized that when someone is dishonest with me, it creates some kind of emotional distance, making it challenging to connect and communicate effectively with them. If this happens for long, that friendship is bound to die because its foundation is shaky.
The few things that have helped me to continuously grow in this discipline have been things like practicing vulnerability with the people I call friends. I learnt to share my thoughts, feelings, and fears openly with them, without fear of judgement. But I also had to learn to hear others without judgment, and responding to them empathetically.
I had to learn to take responsibility for my errors, mistakes and to apologize sincerely when I’m found in fault.
I would also like to mention that honesty can be hard when you have not built an environment that encourages the people around you to openly communicate because they will not feel safe. This is why some people struggle to be honest with their parents, friends and partners. But God is faithful, and He is willing to make a way where there seems to be no way. He can give you the wisdom to know how to deal with certain things and certain people.
Honesty is the backbone of all healthy relationships. When we cultivate honesty in our relationships, we create a strong foundation for growth, understanding, and lasting connections with others. If this is what you desire, then you have to allow yourself to be dealt with in that area, by the grace of God.
Otherwise, it is possible to have healthy relationships with our family members, friends, spouses and every other kind of relationship we deem important, simply by cultivating this virtue of honesty. May God help us to see the bigger picture.
Reflection: Are you being truly honest with your friends?
Stay Blessed
#WiGTyT
