Truthfulness involves being able to be honest about our failings. We may hide our faults from others, but we should not hide them from ourselves. Trying to ignore our failings or trying to make excuses for our behavior will not help us. No matter what we tell others to save our face, or to make ourselves look better than we are in the eyes of others, this is not going to help our spiritual development. If we want to make ourselves fit to enter the kingdom of God, we have to remove our stains and blemishes. Covering them with make-up does not make us beautiful, for God sees us the way we really are. We need to recognize our failings, admit them and then work on weeding them out.
We may dress up and try to look nice when we visit a doctor, but we know that when we go to him or her the doctor is interested in our blood pressure, our pulse, and our internal organs, and he or she looks beyond our physical appearance. We may look presentable when we go to our school and take exams, but we know that the teacher is interested in our results on the tests. Similarly, God wants to make us fit for entry into His abode. We may try to cover up our faults outwardly, but He is interested in our true spiritual nature. He is looking to help us remove the character traits that keep us from rising above consciousness. He is not concerned with our outward show of character. We may act polite and courteous, and we may boast about our achievements, but He looks beyond that. He knows our true condition. He is concerned with helping us correct those flaws.
If we can honestly examine ourselves and criticize ourselves as we criticize others, we will find our faults and correct them. Recognizing our faults is not a time for self-flagellation or to beat up on ourselves. It is not meant for making us brood and worry. It is meant for us to see the faults, make a resolution to change, and start improving. Worrying and brooding and feeling guilty will not help. It will only waste our valuable time and take our attention away from the goal. We should admit freely to ourselves that we have made a mistake, realize that the mistake is part of being human, and then make a plan to change so that we do not repeat the error. We must forgive and forget the actions of others, and we must forgive and forget our own actions once we recognize the mistake and correct it. Whatever we do, we may hide from others, we may hide from ourselves, but we cannot those actions from God. We may present a beautiful face to the world, but God will see our true condition and will not allow us entry to the highest abode until we become spotless. We must be purified to reach His inner kingdom.
So let us resolve to develop the qualities of truthfulness.
Let us be honest in all our dealings. Let us rid ourselves of deceit and hypocrisy. Let us earn our livelihood honestly. And let us be true to ourselves. We should honestly recognize our true condition so we can make the necessary improvements.
