Call It What It Is

When I was growing up, I couldn’t say the word lie. If I said someone lied, I would quickly be corrected and told, “Don’t say lie. Say story.”

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one raised that way.

But once I became a mom, my perspective changed.

Personally, I don’t agree with telling children not to use the word lie and replacing it with story. To me, that can minimize the seriousness of what lying actually is.

I want my son to understand the difference between imagination and dishonesty.

Scripture is clear about the importance of truth. Proverbs 12:22 says,

“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.”

A story is something you create to entertain.

A lie is an intentional departure from the truth.

One sparks creativity.

The other can damage trust, relationships, and reputations.

When we soften the language too much, we can unintentionally soften the lesson.

Sugarcoating is not an option. As the old saying goes, we need to call a spade a spade. We have to see things as the Lord sees them.

The Bible doesn’t say God hates storytellers; it says He hates lying lips.

Truth matters because God is truth.

If we want the world to value honesty, we must be willing to call lying what it is and teach why the truth matters.

A lie may seem small in the moment, but every lie pulls us further away from the One who is called “the Truth.”

Stories belong in books. Truth belongs in our lives.