Strictly Honest

President N. Eldon Tanner served as Second Counselor to Presidents David O. McKay and Joseph Fielding Smith, and as First Counselor to Presidents Harold B. Lee and Spencer W. Kimball. While acting as Minister in the Alberta government, he earned the well-deserved nickname of “Mr. Integrity” because he refused to compromise by accepting gifts of any kind and was strictly honest in his dealings.

Steve mentioned that Joseph Smith taught that we were to be not only honest, but strictly honest.  I was always impressed with the oath on Perry Mason in court where they swore (on a Bible!) to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  I am sad that this apparently is no longer the case in the courts.  In fact the attorneys don't even have to be truthful - they just have to defend their client, no matter what.  (This is why I could never be an attorney, though heaven knows we need honest attorneys). 

And, when it comes to our daily lives are we "strictly" honest or do we omit the parts we don't want to have known.  Do we commit fraud in order to obtain some kind of government (or church or other) benefit?  Do we condone others' behavior when they do this?  Do we look the other way or even encourage it because "they deserve it" or some other justification.  Will we one day stand before our maker and answer whether or not we told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in our dealings with our fellow man?  Can we be strictly honest?

I do know that not being this way will result in more pain, regret and personal misery than we want to live with, unless we are devoid of conscience.  We can be very hard on ourselves once we realize the mistakes we have made.

I know for a fact that when we are not strictly honest, far more people are hurt than when we are.  That doesn't mean we are rude to a person or tell them our opinion about their taste in clothes we don't agree with or that they look fat.  Those are little things, unimportant and not in need of being spoken at all.  By not being "brutally" honest, we can be kind, but then we're not trying to cheat or lie in the process.  Strict honesty is different than this - it's honesty with ourselves and God.

Will we stand up for right every time, regardless of the consequences?  Choose what is right, let the consequence follow... (CTR)