Honesty & Integrity

OK, Brian Williams lied... And a lot of people are saying, "What's the big deal? Everyone lies!" But I have a problem with that.  Honesty is a character trait that is badly needed in this world.  And if our leaders aren't being honest, what kind of example does that set for everyone else? One of the funniest jokes I've heard regarding lies from the White House went like this:

Hillary Clinton died and went to heaven. As she stood in front of Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates, she saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. She asked, "What are all those clocks?" Saint Peter answered, "Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock will move. "Oh," said Hillary, "whose clock is that?" "That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved indicating that she never told a lie." "Whose clock is that?" "That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have only moved twice telling us that Abe only told 2 lies in his entire life." "Where's Bill's clock?" Hillary asked. "Bill's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan." 

My favorite joke this week has been this, as shared with me by Duane Allen :  Brian Williams went to church this morning.  The choir sang "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?"  Brian said "Why yes, yes I was."

Alright, so Brian Williams isn't the President of the United States.  But he is still in a position that requires integrity.  Reporting the news is a great responsibility, and we need to be able to trust that those entrusted with this job are doing it with complete honesty.  Honest people love truth and justice, and show it by their words and actions, They do not lie, steal, or cheat. Let's focus on the lie.  Lying is when we intentionally deceive others, such as bearing false witness. When we speak untruths, we are lying.  When we intentionally deceive others by a gesture or look, by silence, or by only telling part of the truth, we are lying.  Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.  Brian Williams has proven he isn't an honest person, and needs to be replaced with someone who we can trust.