Honesty (response to Proverbs 14:10)

As with anyone who professes to follow Christ, honesty has a high place of honor in my mind.  As we follow Christ, honesty with him allows us to realize our complete dependence on him, and honesty with others allows us to reflect his love.  It also allows us to live in community with each other (Galatians 6:1-2).  The only way to truly grow in Christ is to have the ability to analyze yourself and to allow others to analyze/support you.

Honesty, however, is tricky.  First, because there is a point at which honesty is not healthy sharing, but unloading all our problems and hoping that people are listening (or reading).  Second, because I doubt human beings' ability to truly analyze themselves.  With apologies to Bacon, emotions are ever-present, and cold rationality is equally undesirable and impossible. The outcome is that honesty can be in a constant state of flux within the individual.  Lastly, language is inherently imperfect.  Personal complexity and nuance is lost when expressed through language that strives to standardize ideas into forms that can be applicable to all situations.  To clarify, language is not broken, just imperfect.  This backdrop helps to explain why honesty is not as visibly present in the world as we may wish.  Just as humans are, or because humans are, slightly bent, so is honesty.

So where does pure honesty exist?  As Rob said, only God is able to fully and completely know each of us.  Thus pure honesty can only be experienced in relationship with God, as shown by Psalm 139.  We should desire to be honest with him so that we may grow in our relationship, something Paul points to in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 & 8:2.  As Proverbs 14:10 said, "the heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy," a fact that is freeing.  Only after we realize that we can only be honest with God are we able to die to ourselves and live out Galatians 5:1.  It could also be added that though it is difficult/impossible to be truly honest with the people around us, relationships not only survive, but thrive, due to God's presence. 

Thank you so much for the input!  It was great to look deeper into this incredibly powerful verse.