Backstage honesty

There was this one time, I was in a skit. Its like a play, but only shorter.  Well, I've been in several skits/plays, but I'm going to blog about this particular time.

Now for a tad bit of background.  I was used to doing skits.  At that time I was probably in 3 or 4 skits a year, between church and school.  Also, I was starting to play the piano in front of people.  So I was starting to get over my stage fright.

Back to the story.

We were backstage, about to go on in 45 seconds.  And a lady, who was also in the play but hadn't actually performed in one for a couple of years, asked me if I was nervous.  I thought for a second and said yes.  But really,  I wasn't.  I didn't even have diarrhea that morning like I normally did before a big play/skit/piano performance.  It was weird for me not to be nervous.  So, essentially I lied to her.  What went though my head when she asked me that was, If I say yes I was nervous, I was lying, If I say no, I wasn't nervous, she would feel bad or more nervous or something that wouldn't help her.   So, I said I was nervous.

This story is probably at least 5 years old, but I remember it because I was at a crossroad between lying and trying to help someone feel better.  What did it matter if I said I was nervous when I wasn't?  It didn't matter, other than the fact that the lady would feel as if she wasn't the only one up there that was nervous.

I guess my thought process is confused because of things that I have been told.

Let me say up front that without a doubt I believe that honesty is the best policy.

Here is an example of a scenario that was used to try and teach honesty to me (well not TO me, to the class I was in).  You see a friend at a party and she asks you if you like her new dress.  You don't.  You think its not a good color for her and that it doesn't flatter.  Since Christians are supposed to be honest, you should tell her you don't think the dress looks good on her.  Well, I have a problem with that.  Your friend obviously likes that dress, or she wouldn't have bought it.  You thinking that its not a good color or fit isn't honesty, it isn't fact, it is your opinion.  Now, if my friend and I went to Kohl's and were looking at dresses, I would totally, in a heartbeat say, Girl, that dress does not look good on you.  Not at the party, she would probably cry, or at least be mad at you, and everyone would think you have Asperger's.  I don't think you should be brutally honest.  Kindness is better.

Now, that I got that off my chest, its not going to annoy my subconscious anymore.

"Be kindly affectioned to one another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another." Romans 12:10