This week we're going to talk about what it means to Live Truth.
Live truth. It's one thing to know what's right and valuable, it's another thing to live it. This is especially true in a society that increasingly purports the notion that all truth is relative. Better stated, there is no truth and nothing is right or wrong. In fact, this philosophy claims that any belief system that teaches absolute right and wrong or clearly defined values is wrong. Wait! That means something can be wrong? See the flaw in that logic?
I'm pretty sure we'd all agree that stealing is wrong. But what if it's stealing from the rich to feed the poor? I think we'd all agree that lying is wrong. But what if it's a lie that saves a life or protects the innocent?
The absolute truth is that we can "what if" ourselves into a corner and obliterate all sense of truth and morality. We can justify actions based on whatever sense of justice or entitlement helps us sleep easy at night. And we can watch our society continue on a downward spiral right along with our excuses.
There is a cost to living in truth. It's not easy. And it often requires the sacrifice of an achievement or material gain. The one thing it will never cost is self-respect. The reward for living in truth transcends any price you might be called to pay.
But, here's what I think. I think that living your truth IS an individual thing. We're all on a journey, and we're at different stages of that journey at all times. We must make choices and mistakes based on the information we have at the moment and the best intentions we can find in our heart.
I find truth in my faith. As a Christian I am comforted in knowing there is truth that is reliable and redeeming. My faith reinforces my understanding that I am anything but perfect. Yes, I stumble, fall, and then stumble again. I am far from perfect, and yet find myself on this journey of life with so many others just like me. My faith doesn't make that imperfection okay; it just fills in the holes and makes me whole. That's my absolute truth. It's the one thing I am sure of when nothing else seems for sure.
The compass point of truth is an unchanging direction. A fixed point by which to navigate through the midst of a storms of life. I believe to live truth is not only to find life, but to find life in its full abundance no matter what storms rage all around. Life is truth; truth is sure.
And possessing life and truth cannot be contained. When you have hold of it, you can't help but live it out loud.
“It is not courage that makes us speak the truth, but it is a hunger for truth that makes us courageous”
― Agona Apell, The Success Genome Unravelled: Turning Men from Rot to Rock
Is truth a confusing concept? Is it hard to know what to do when many choices seem right? When faced with decisions on how to act or what to say, you can filter your responses through the following questions:
- Is the step I'm about to take rooted in selflessness and love?
- Am I aware of or seeking a higher purpose for my next move?
- Do I have to overlook the nagging of my conscience in order to move forward?
To live truth is to live life on purpose with such authenticity and vulnerability that each and every day is a transformational experience. It is knowing that even in the mist of the storms of life there is still hope, joy, and love.
So I encourage each of you, Live Truth each day as we move...
Onward!