🌤️ Living HONESTY: showing up with courage and grace
the sweetness of peaches, confession, and Scripture, prepared just for you!
“It’s just a white lie…” What does that mean? Lies have colors?
It can feel so easy to hide, not just from others, but from ourselves and even from God. We smooth over hard truths, bury uncomfortable feelings, and keep things “nice” on the surface, even when our hearts feel anything but.
But God isn’t afraid of the truth. In fact, he is the truth. And he lovingly invites us to bring our whole, honest selves to him, not just the polished parts.
This week, let’s make space for real honesty: with God, with ourselves, and with the people we love. By baking up a sweet recipe, embracing the power of confession, and memorizing Scripture, we’ll walk together toward greater freedom. If you’re longing for a mini retreat in the middle of your busy week, this is it.
Let’s be brave together. The truth will set us free.
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🍑Honest to Goodness Summer Peach Crisp
Sometimes the truth is refreshingly simple. A bowl of ripe summer peaches. A warm dessert shared with someone you love. An honest conversation that clears the air. In a world that often pressures us to polish and perfect, there’s something holy about offering the real thing—whether it’s our food, our homes, or our hearts.
This week’s recipe is a celebration of that kind of honesty. No fuss, no fancy techniques, just the beautiful sweetness God already placed in creation, gently brought out and shared. As you bake, let this be a prayerful act of returning to what’s real and good.
🍑 Honest-to-Goodness Summer Peach Crisp
Ingredients:
6–8 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced (or use frozen)
1/4 cup white sugar (or honey)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice
Topping:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Toss peach slices with white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Spread into a buttered 8×8 baking dish.
In a separate bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter until crumbly.
Sprinkle topping evenly over the peaches.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden and peaches are bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt.
🧡 Prayer While Baking:
Lord, as I stir and slice and wait, let me be reminded that your goodness doesn’t need dressing up. May I learn to speak simply, act honestly, and love sincerely. Let this dish be more than dessert—let it be a small act of truth and joy shared in your name. Amen.
Challenge:
Make this for someone you’ve been meaning to reconnect with. Let your hospitality be a bridge to honest conversation. Is there something you’ve been avoiding saying? Maybe this is your moment to say it with love.
🙏 Reconciliation: The Courage to Come Clean
There’s a special kind of weight that comes from pretending everything’s fine when it’s not. We carry unspoken guilt, private sins, and silent regrets, sometimes for years. But God never intended for us to carry those things.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most powerful places we can practice honesty. It’s not about groveling or humiliation; it’s about coming home. It's where we bring the whole truth to Jesus and hear him say, with all love and authority: You are forgiven. You are free.
🕊 Scripture:
“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” — James 5:16
🧭 Mini Examination of Conscience: Honesty Edition
Take a few quiet moments to pray and reflect:
Have I been honest with God in my prayer life?
Have I lied, exaggerated, or manipulated the truth in relationships?
Have I avoided difficult truths, out of fear, pride, or comfort?
Have I gossiped or failed to correct misunderstandings?
Have I been honest with myself about habits, temptations, or attachments I need to surrender?
🙏 Prayer Before Confession:
Jesus, you are truth itself.
Give me the courage to be honest before you.
Help me bring my whole heart, not just the good parts, to your mercy.
Heal what is broken. Strengthen what is weak.
Let me walk out of the confessional freer, lighter, and closer to you. Amen.
Optional Challenge:
If you can’t get to Confession this week, spend time in Eucharistic Adoration or quiet prayer. Bring your whole heart to Jesus and make an act of contrition. Then mark your calendar to receive the sacrament soon.
Journal Prompt:
What have I been afraid to admit to God, to others, or to myself? What would it feel like to finally lay it down?
Quote to Carry With You:
“Confession is an act of honesty and courage, an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.” — St. John Paul II
📖 Proverbs 12:22 — Truth That Delights the Lord
We live in a world where bending the truth, just a little, is often seen as harmless, even wise. A white lie to avoid conflict. A flattering word we don’t really mean. A silence that protects our image. But Scripture is clear:
God delights in honesty. Not perfection, not polish—honesty.
This short but powerful verse from Proverbs invites us to reflect on the kind of speech and character that brings joy to the heart of God.
📜 Scripture to Memorize:
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who are truthful, his delight.”
— Proverbs 12:22
Say it aloud. Write it down. Let it echo in your heart today.
Journaling Questions:
When is it hardest for you to be completely honest?
Have you ever had someone’s honesty heal something in you?
What’s the difference between truthfulness and harshness?
How can we teach our children, or remind ourselves, that being trustworthy matters more than being impressive?
Where in my life am I tempted to hide, embellish, or stay silent instead of being truthful? How might honesty, gently offered, build trust in my relationships?
Let this day be a quiet turning toward truth, in your thoughts, your words, and your heart. God isn’t waiting for perfection. He’s just waiting for you, honestly.
🎵 Song for Reflection:
Listen to “No Filter” by Sarah Kroger — a thoughtful reminder of the power of honest, uplifting words.
