In which our hero grows terribly frustrated on the internet....
What is the truth worth to us? The answer to this question, like many others, hurts to think about.
As men, we have been endowed by God with a central understanding of the truth. We are liars, but not by design. Any time that we lie we violate our conscience, even if it is numbed by long abuse. We recognize ours own lies and we are deeply and often permanently hurt by the lies of others.
Men were made to know the truth, to know God and to be known.
This is where the pain comes in.... If we are so naturally inclined to recognize the truth and to abhor deceit, why do we tolerate lies?
Lies in our advertisements, lies in our politicians, lies to each other, lies to ourselves.
This, of course, is most obvious in politics. We continue to support politicians who continuously lie. They lie about themselves, they lie about each other. They lie and we continue to support them.
We learn that a politician lied about his credentials, oh well nobody's perfect; we learn that a politician lied about his residency in a state, oh well he's still better than the other guy.... And on the list goes, for every lie a political excuse.
If we do value the truth, we do not do so outwardly. Of course we need to forgive men who ask forgiveness for there sins, but reconciliation and forgiveness are different things. Just because you forgive a man for lying to you does not mean that you entrust to him those things which are most dear.
So also, we fail to do the opposite of abhorring lies, we do not support and defend those who tell the truth.
The issues in which this is evident are numerous, both inside the political spectrum and inside the church.
We don't want to offend people with the truth. We stand by while people slander those who haven't done wrong and we don't say anything. We cling to that which is socially acceptable and abhor that which offends anybody. We mince words and make the truth no truth, a half truth.
Men are made to know the truth, to know God and be known.
And we do, and we are.
Despite our utter lack of merit or worthiness, we know the truth. This is where we can rest our hope. That, chief of sinners though we are, God, the God of Truth, has loved us, given His Son for us, marked us as His own in Holy Baptism and by His Holy Spirit calls us, enlightens and sanctifies us, that we might be His own.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is, I'm frustrated by the lies of politics, my own lies, and the lies which are daily told to thousands by deceived people. But ultimately, I know the truth. God is good and his mercy endureth forever and neither things present, nor things to come can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Thank you for reading my word vomit. I hope you don't feel like you wasted your time reading it.
