The thing about honesty that was always a stumbling block was that I always thought honesty had to tell or say out loud it’s truth for it to be counted as honesty. You would think this would have been a blessing to someone who is so keen on talking and conversation but it felt just the opposite. I am discovering that honesty can be completely expressed by silence, quiet and the word not spoken. I got to experience this recently in a completely delightful way. (I have noticed, btw, that the more I face, accept, am willing to look at my fears that Holy Spirit can teach me things via delight rather than fright. Talk about trick or treat!;)
Two precious faces….
A few short weeks ago my daughter and her lovely boyfriend were over for dinner and Scrabble night. This is a lovely tradition that we all love to indulge in as often as we can. After a rousing game where there was much ado about the word “zi” (I was convinced it was the Chinese way of spelling chi or xi) we were all tidying up when the lovely boyfriend pulled my husband aside and said “Can I talk to you?” My husband said “Of course.” This dear, precious young man then proceeded to ask for our blessing and permission to ask for our daughter’s hand in marriage. When my husband came back to our bedroom and shared this news we were so elated, delighted and excited we could have jumped up and down on the bed and swung from the ceiling fan. But we had to ingest the joy silently until our daughter was properly asked. This dear young man had a plan which due to mountain weather conditions had to be postponed for several days. This is when I learned honesty can be silent, play dead and still be totally true while expressing non-chalance. I was able to express in my journal all I was feeling but I couldn’t tell anyone.
She said “YES!!”
This was an incredible gift. I was able to sit with and soak in this delicious joy and just be with it without agenda. This is when I learned honesty can be a party for one and it is completely ok. Thankfully I was soon able to let honesty be expressed to all when we discovered that the big question was asked on the top of Mt. Lassen, on bended knee with ring box in hand. In case you are wondering the answer was “YES!!!!” And the answer to “Can honesty remain silent and still be honest?” is also a resounding yes. Let your heart be your guide when, if and how honesty is to be expressed. You heart always knows, trust it’s timing, gentleness and utter kindness in the expression of honesty and you will get to experience the LOVE that honesty is.
