How Lying is A Trap

Liars usually end up being betrayed by their own lies, and lying becomes a very difficult vice to overcome.

Four college friends went on a trip to go carousing the weekend before final exams. They had a great time. After so much partying, though, they slept all day Sunday and didn’t get back to their university until Monday morning. Instead of going to the final exam, they decided that, when the exam ended, they would talk with the professor and give him an excuse for why they had missed the exam.

They explained that they had gone on a trip over the weekend and had planned to return with time to study, but unfortunately, a tire had gone flat on the road back. They didn’t have the tools to change the tire, and no one had wanted to help them.

As a result of this adventure, they had missed the final exam. The professor thought it over and agreed to give them the exam the next day. The four friends were happy to have gotten away with their escapade. 

They studied all night and arrived the next day to take the exam. The professor put them in separate classrooms and gave each one the test so they could get started.

The first question was an easy one about the history of marketing; it was worth 5 points. "Great!", each one thought alone in his classroom. "This is going to be very easy." Each one answered the question and turned the page over. On the second page was written, "For 95 points: which tire went flat on the trip?"

Jesus tells us that "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). The eighth commandment also invites us to tell the truth at all times. Often, we prefer to lie to "save" ourselves from certain difficult situations and to avoid problems. Nonetheless, liars usually end up being betrayed by their own lies. The fact is, lies are not just a sin that offend God. Lying becomes a vice that is then very difficult to overcome. It becomes the easiest way to avoid what we don’t want and to obtain what we most enjoy. As we keep going down this path, we go deeper and deeper into darkness. Without realizing it, we end up building our lives and decisions on lies – lies which could be discovered at any moment.  Eventually we will have to pay the price. This simple story warns us of the dangers of the bad habit of lying.