As a child, our truth rests with our parents. They are our truth. They tell us what is right, what is wrong, how we should feel, how we should adapt. They are our true north.
Soon, that true north is challenged. Friends enter our life, and they reflect the truths of their parents and siblings. And sometimes, that truth does not jive with our parents’ truth. Who to believe? At this point, most of us go with our parents, because they are our protectors, and we trust them.
But subtly, over time, we lose that true north. We begin to question what our parents have told us. Other authority figures enter our lives, and we start to wonder, what is truth? Where does it rest? School teachers teach truths that don’t mesh with what we have learned at home. Friends start to challenge our truth—and they make sense. What to believe? Where to go?
Age has its advantage. You can see why having a true north is essential. We see people latch onto concepts, behaviors, beliefs that at first seem “hip,” “contemporary,” “edgy,” and we are intrigued. But often, as years churn on, we watch these same trendy thoughts crush those who espouse them. We see friends who used to seem so tethered mysteriously go adrift, following the latest social norm. And, we see that what is trendy today—what is “true”—turns out to be just the opposite. Even so, without a nod of acknowledgment, the world moves on to the latest flashy idea, leaving ruined lives unnoticed. But, we should take notice.
The Bible tells us to judge a tree by its fruit, and over time, the fruits these new ideas and behaviors produce do not look good. Often, they look tragic. Recognizing this, we must make a deliberate effort to connect the dots backward. The Spirit of Confusion hopes we won’t connect the dots. It tells us, “Let’s look forward.” But, it is imperative that we do look back to see how these ruined lives happened. We need to learn the lessons that are there.
When we do, we see the value of the True North. The tether. The Truth. It may seem boring from the outside. It may seem dated and unimpressive. But, when you see people who truly live out this Truth, their lives are beautiful. Their fruit is sweet. We long for the solidity of the lives they lead. When we connect the dots back, they lead back to God. To Truth.
It is the story of the prodigal son, over and over again. We want to live the good life. We want to stray. The world tells us how grand it will be. And, at first it is. It always is. But, over time, we end up eating scraps only fit for pigs. We look back at what could have been—what should have been—and we grieve. Why did we trust the world? It took everything—and gave back nothing.
When we reach this point in life, we need to remember that as long as we have breath, the road that led us away from the truth runs both ways. Like the prodigal son, we too can return home. God is there—awaiting our arrival with open arms
How do we do that? Through prayer—repentance—and a commitment to learn the Truth and not stray from it.
So, what is the Truth?
Truth is Jesus.
How do we know the Truth?
We must study the Bible, God’s inspired word, every day.
We must ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand it. We must turn to Christians whose lives produce good fruit, ripened over a long time. And, we must not change the Truth to make it comfortable for us. We must read the Bible and let it challenge us and our beliefs.
I have read the Bible cover to cover four times—now beginning the fifth. Every single time, it challenges my beliefs and my behaviors. And, I thank God that it does, because I am so imperfect, it will challenge me forever.
We shouldn’t let that stop us. We should stretch toward holiness every single day. Even when we fail, we should repeat the initial prodigal son’s approach—pray—repent—and turn back to God. Over and over, as we walk the slow walk to holiness.
We don’t judge others for where they are because in truth, we have all been at the pig trough more than we would like to admit. We pray for them. We pray for ourselves. We push forward toward God—toward holy lives.
Will you join me?