Facing the truth
2 Corinthians 4:2 "Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
Paul communicated truth unabashedly and without regard to how it would be received or what the immediate consequences might be. And suffer he did. But 2,000 years later, here we are still reading his writings and recognizing them as ultimate truth.
We seem to have a problem in our country right now hearing and accepting truth. We face many difficult challenges, and the opinions on each side of the debate grow louder and more divisive by the moment. Opinions are part of what makes the situation so confusing. Everyone seems to have an opinion, and we are bombarded by so many of them we can't process them all.
We need truth, not opinion. Truth is out there, but how do we distinguish it from useless opinion? This leads to a second problem- trust. We seem to be growing in our general level of distrust. We no longer trust our leaders or our established institutions. We grow increasingly skeptical of our system and the rules we have collectively established. I believe the truth has been heard in the deafening drone of countless opinions. It has probably been swept under the rug or drowned out in the noise because ramifications of that truth are unpleasant.
One united concept on which most everyone seems to be in agreement is that our country is not going down the right path. The alternate path we should be on is the central debatable issue. But one thing is for certain- the process of change is painful. If change were not painful, wouldn't we have ended the arguments and have already done something by now? And make no mistake about it- the pain is shared. The pain is not to be borne solely by "other people". It will require sacrifice by each and every one of us. The pain involves giving up something- either something we currently have or something we have previously believed we would be getting in the future. The details of the situation may be expressed currently in economic or monetary terms, but the concept and framework of accepting truth and making painful changes that require personal sacrifice are no different at the core than what Paul preached.
May we, as a people, find the character and intestinal fortitude to accept truth, face up to the painful changes it requires of us, and to set about making those changes with a spirit of joy and thankfulness that will honor and glorify God who has provided all.
Paul communicated truth unabashedly and without regard to how it would be received or what the immediate consequences might be. And suffer he did. But 2,000 years later, here we are still reading his writings and recognizing them as ultimate truth.
We seem to have a problem in our country right now hearing and accepting truth. We face many difficult challenges, and the opinions on each side of the debate grow louder and more divisive by the moment. Opinions are part of what makes the situation so confusing. Everyone seems to have an opinion, and we are bombarded by so many of them we can't process them all.
We need truth, not opinion. Truth is out there, but how do we distinguish it from useless opinion? This leads to a second problem- trust. We seem to be growing in our general level of distrust. We no longer trust our leaders or our established institutions. We grow increasingly skeptical of our system and the rules we have collectively established. I believe the truth has been heard in the deafening drone of countless opinions. It has probably been swept under the rug or drowned out in the noise because ramifications of that truth are unpleasant.
One united concept on which most everyone seems to be in agreement is that our country is not going down the right path. The alternate path we should be on is the central debatable issue. But one thing is for certain- the process of change is painful. If change were not painful, wouldn't we have ended the arguments and have already done something by now? And make no mistake about it- the pain is shared. The pain is not to be borne solely by "other people". It will require sacrifice by each and every one of us. The pain involves giving up something- either something we currently have or something we have previously believed we would be getting in the future. The details of the situation may be expressed currently in economic or monetary terms, but the concept and framework of accepting truth and making painful changes that require personal sacrifice are no different at the core than what Paul preached.
May we, as a people, find the character and intestinal fortitude to accept truth, face up to the painful changes it requires of us, and to set about making those changes with a spirit of joy and thankfulness that will honor and glorify God who has provided all.
posted by Robert Jory Allen at
11:06 AM
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