3 Ways White Lies Spin Out of Control

The first way white lies spin out of control is when you lose others' trust because of them. In this way, you become untrustworthy. There have been many people in my life who have lost my trust because of their lies. While they considered them white lies, all lies are the same, and they are equally hurtful. When someone lies to you repeatedly, you lose all trust in them. Whether a long-time friend or a family member, if they tell you white lies, there will come a time when you don't want anything to do with them because you can't trust them. It is a horrible thing not to be able to trust a long-time friend or a family member.

If you are in the habit of telling white lies, know they can quickly spin out of control. As they start spinning, you can lose the trust of many important people in your life. If you lose their trust, they will never see you the same again. While forgiveness and healing can take place, it is unrealistic to believe your relationship with this person will ever be the same as it was before you started telling white lies. Even if it may feel easier to tell white lies, it is important you always tell the truth. 

Telling the truth is always the best because it is what God wants us to do. He doesn't want us to lie because lying is a sin. Lying goes directly against God's teachings in the Bible. Not to mention that lying doesn't just hurt the people you are lying to, but it also hurts you and God. Anytime we sin, we sin against God, and we hurt him. Even if you might think your white lie won't cause harm, it will cause a lot of harm for everyone involved. You could lose your reputation if it spreads that you tell white lies. 

Once you are deemed trustworthy, it can be extremely difficult to earn a person's trust again. Dabbling with someone's trust should not be done. You might see a white lie as being harmless or no big deal, but it can hurt many people. Everyone has said white lies in the past, but it doesn't make it okay. All people need to desire to tell the truth and follow God's command of not speaking lies. If we follow God's teachings as told to us in the Bible, we will have a better relationship with Him and others. 

A second way white lies spin out of control is when you get caught in a spider web of lies. You may think you'll never get found out concerning your little lies, but it's not true. The truth is bound to come out at some time–either by the person finding out or by becoming so overwhelmed with guilt that you confess your lies. It is best from the start to not say any lies, and you won't find yourself stuck in a spider web of them. Remember, once you are in a spider web of lies, it can be hard to keep up with all the lies you've said. 

As we know, a lie is rarely ever just one lie. Instead, one lie turns into another lie, and the next lie turns into a never-ending amount of lies just to cover up the first lie. This can show us how quickly one white lie can quickly become millions of lies. When it comes to a lie or even many lies, it can be hard to keep track of all of them. With time, you might start getting your story mixed up, and you will expose your own lies. As previously mentioned, all lies will eventually come out into the light whether we want them to or not. 

This is why it is crucially important for us not to tell white lies in the first place. They are not harmless, as they do cause pain, anguish, and heartbreak. Turn to the Lord in repentance and ask for forgiveness. Even if you have gotten away with many lies, turn to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. Make it a priority to stop telling lies even when it's hard. Being truthful is a great quality to have, and when people view you as being trustworthy, you are going to be able to have better, long-lasting friendships with others. 

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tatiana

A third way white lies can spin out of control is by the fact that you are constantly sinning against God when you are telling white lies. Every sin we commit goes against God. We may think a small sin is not aimed at God, yet all sin is aimed at God, and it hurts Him. As white lies begin to spin out of control, we know it can be due to the fact of the individual constantly sinning against God. Lying is not good, and it goes against everything we know in the Bible. We need to be truthful and honest in our dealing with others. 

Rationalism has caused us to think our sin is "no big deal," when in truth, it is the worst thing we can do. Instead of following God's teaching by repenting and sinning no more, as believers, we continue to sin against God, and we hurt Him in the process. Our white lies can start spinning out of control in this way, and sadly, we can become calloused to the Holy Spirit's conviction if we continue to sin despite His efforts to stop us. We need to acknowledge this if we are in a state of being untouched by the conviction of the Holy Spirit due to our persistent sin. If we have found we are insensitive to His gentle guidance, then we need to go to God in prayer, ask for forgiveness, and ask for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to return. 

Make an effort today to clear up any white lies and to come clean about them. While it might be difficult and hurt others to know the truth, it is better to tell the truth than to let the lie keep going. White lies are not harmless, and the longer you let them remain and add onto them, the worse they will become. Choose to be truthful and honest. Follow God and ask Him to help you obey Him faithfully. 

God is faithful and full of grace. If you ask Him for forgiveness, He will forgive you. However, don't expect others to forgive you when you come clean about any white lies in your life because your lies may have severely hurt that person. Instead, choose to respect their decision and do your best to make it right. Sometimes the only thing you can do to make it right is to confess, apologize, and remain out of their lives. While this can be hurtful, we need to know that we do have to deal with the consequences of our sins.