What is truth? As a person who
made my living by studying and seeking to understand and reveal the correct
meaning and relevance of words, I have long realized the importance of the way properly
we use and understand words. Words are significant
because words have meaning. Changing the
meaning of words can have a significant result.
We have seen recent changes in the meaning of certain words and the elimination
of some words. There are indeed words
that are vulgar offensive and should not be used. I
always said that using profane, vulgar and offensive language was a sure sign
of ignorance and a poor vocabulary. However,
changing the meaning of words can cause major changes in our culture. ‘The Gay Divorcee’, a 1934 American musical
film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would probably be quite a
different movie with that title today. Hallmark's
ornaments for the holiday season caused some controversy when the replacement
of the word "gay" while quoting "Deck the Halls” on their red
"Holiday Sweater" ornament was decorated with the lyric, "Don we
now our fun apparel." Well that is the original meaning of the
word, ‘gay’. I raise eyebrows when I tell
people that I have always been in favor of gay marriage. I think every marriage should be fun.
Back to a more serious discussion on the matter I believe we live in a precarious
time where words are intentionally and cleverly used incorrectly to advance an
agenda, be a weapon or provide a diversion from truth. Several years ago I noticed a phrase that
began to creep into our language. It seemed
innocent and even positive as people spoke of and were encouraged to follow ‘their truth’. It was a way of giving permission to do
whatever anyone wanted, as long as it seemed ‘true’ for them. Now we are seeing people appear on TV and are “appreciative
of this opportunity to speak “my truth”. By the way, when my children were very young I
told them to remember that “everything
you see on TV is there for one primary purpose, to create a large audience and
make money for their sponsors.” In this
day of ‘fake news’ and playing fast and loose with the language, I think we
should remember that we need to listen and watch everything with a very careful
filter. The problem with such
declarations as “following or speaking my
truth” is the misguided belief that ‘truth’
is a malleable concept to be individually defined (and changed) according to
how one feels at the moment.
2000 years ago a Roman governor stood before a man on trial for his life
and asked him the simple yet profound question, “What is truth?” Little did Pontius Pilate know that he was
looking at the truth as he asked the question.
Before Jesus could respond Pilate turned away. Too often that mirrors our encounter with
truth today. We turn and walk away
before seeing the real “way, truth and life.”
Our cultural march toward relativism and the desire for tolerance for those
following ‘their truth’ has not created
more agreement for other opinions or lifestyles but just the opposite. We seem to find ourselves more easily
offended than ever. Offended people
often become very angry people. Unless
that anger is properly handled it can be destructive. Mature people understand that while they are entitled
to their own opinions, they are not entitled to their own facts. Facts (truth) should never be changed to
validate one’s desired conclusion. If I could
have changed truth/facts to authenticate my desired outcome, I probably would
have remained an accounting major in college.
I always had trouble getting my outcome to match the teacher’s
math.
Let me offer a few suggestions to keep from being a growing population of
people who are so easily offended, then I will close with a way to find and
follow real unchanging truth. First, of
all the real difficulties in life, things don’t get much smaller than an
offense. An offense taken only produces
a feeling, a moment of emotional confusion. Through the course of your life there will be
many more serious matters to deal with than a brief hurt feeling. Also, you can do more about being offended
than most anything else you will encounter.
You do not need to see a specialist, take medicine, or have a medical procedure. You can simply choose how you will respond,
act or feel. You can choose to be
offended, upset or angry or you can choose not to allow the negative actions of
someone else dictate negative results in your life. If you are looking to be easily offended,
upset or angry; you will not have to look far.
Likewise, if you are looking to overlook, love and forgive; you will
usually find ample opportunities all around.
Which outlook and lifestyle would you rather choose? It’s your
choice!
That brings me to the way to find and follow real unchanging truth. Let’s go back to the question of Pilate in John
18:38. He did not know he was looking
truth square in the face when he asked Jesus that question. He was not in the room earlier (John 14:6)
when Jesus told his disciples (and now us), “I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So if you are wondering about how to know
what is right and wrong, how to keep from being confused, led astray or how to
live the best life in confusing times.
Look at unchangeable truth; Jesus!
He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the truth you need to live a stable and fulfilled
life, free from petty feelings and life on an emotional roller-coaster. Don’t let the words or actions of others hurt
your feelings so easily. However, if
your feelings do get hurt before you respond in a negative fashion take a look
at the truth. Take a close look at the scarred
hands of the Truth. He had far worse
done to him than will ever be done to you.
None of us will ever be beaten and nailed to a cross yet he loved them
and asked for their forgiveness as hung there dying.
Real,
unchanging and eternal truth is a life loving God with all your passion, heart,
and intelligence and loving others as well as you love yourself while you treat
them the way you want to be treated.
That’s the Bill Drees translation of the Greatest Commandment and Golden
Rule but it is still true!
