Monday, September 17, 2007

Truth?

The truth. It seems that this culture has forgotten that there is such a thing. Karma, luck, fortune cookies, wishes, and magic beans make up this world that exists without truth. Anyone can make up his or her own mind, and none of it applies to anyone else. If my truth interferes with yours, then we battle to see who is the stronger person, or we nonchalantly agree to disagree. Hostility, frustration, and apathy towards other human beings is the price we pay to creat our own islands of morality, justice, and twisted logic. When I disagree with this mentality,I am unenlightened at best, inhuman at worst. How could I DARE to impose "my" truth on another person? This fuzzy truth allows each person to decide the worth and value of others. Therefore, it is okay to consider myself better than others; in my mind, I am even justified in hating another person, or putting them on some subhuman level, if it falls within my arena of truth.
If there is no foundation, all we are standing on are vague perceptions, hopes, and ideas discerned from the experiences we have encountered. Where does this leave us? We are tearing ourselves apart. In this culture, each person trusts no one wholly, for that would neccesarily mean denying some of their truth and agreeing with someone else. We become our own enemies. Where there is no certainty, there is no hope. Who is there to rely on? Who is there to follow, to admire? Each person chooses differently, resulting in factions and clubs, cliques and gangs, rivals and angry mobs. Is this where we are heading? Whatever happens, there is nothing to rely on to say that we are safe, our lives are good, or that there is a point to it all. All the scientific theories the world offers cannot tell us what things are true. Even the ground we stand on shakes sometimes, is washed away by floods, tsunamis, and hurricanes, is buried by landslides or burned by fire, and none of this is caused by mankind. Who dares to explain away the guy whose reckless driving cuts you off in traffic, the cunning businessman who lies to rob you, or the high school kids who shoot their classmates? Are those scenarios the spawn of karma, luck, or whatever else this world tries to sell us? How can we struggle to stay hopeful? We are ever running from this madness, but it is always around us, holding us in its hand. Or is it?


Is there consistency? Is there a steady Rock on which we can stand?

I can tell you there is.
The idea of this culture is get, get, get. Get ahead, get what I want when I want it, get noticed.

There is another idea. This idea so contrasts our culture that it is a challenge to the great and small equally. It explains away into dust the notions of karma and the foolishness of luck. It can be so bewildering to some that they ask, "where did this come from? How can it be possible? It is not true, for it makes no sense in light of all I know and have experienced."

But it is true. The idea did not originate in humanity, for in humanity there is no hope. When persons need hope, they must look outside of themselves, to something greater. A nation, a cause, a project... but here is something even greater.



"I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life." - Jesus, John 14:6

One sentence; a few words; and yet more hope and power than anything this culture, this world can give.


He promises that if you seek Him you will find Him. Christ promises He will never leave us or forsake us. Can you trust Him? Yes.

3 comments:

Mark Lake said...

Jesus was strong and courageous enough to love us to His own death. I think Jesus showed us that love is the only weapon that cannot be defeated and can break down any wall. When we love people - all people - we reveal Jesus as The Truth because it breaks down the will of others to hate us or hate Jesus because of us.

Rock on, Amanda.

Mark

tesata2 said...

I pray for you and Bryan every day that God would let your lives lovingly express truth in all things - speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly. It is a real struggle to live and speak truly every day, and then to do that with grace.
Love, Mom

Traci said...

We sere just discussing something similar to this in Borden's Bible Study. We are doing When the Enemy Strikes. Last Thursday we were talking about the snares the enemy uses to get to us. Two of those snares were division (dividing us as people, Christians, friends, etc...) and the other was deception (making us believe that the promises of God are not real or that our relationship with Christ is not real). I just pray that people can be aware of the enemy when he is working in their lives.
We have also been talking about what evil it. And discussing the fact that the people who do wrong things are not evil but the things that they do are evil. Plus the fact that we need to see the person. Someone who does something evil may not have a relationship with Christ and that we need to be understanding of that.
You're awesome Amanda!!
Traci