Destructive Truth: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ tells of a 17-year-old suffering with social anxiety and depression. His therapist encourages him to write letters to himself:
‘…I’m giving up, I’m giving in, I’m not fighting it any more. Nothing changes. It doesn’t get better. It doesn’t get easier. You don’t get any wiser. You just get older. Your skin gets thinner. Your nerve gets weaker. Your feelings get hurt enough times that you’d rather not feel anymore…’
Ironically, his attempts at truth lead to a succession of destructive lies.
Distanced Truth: Reading about Cambodia – Phnom Penn, 1975:
‘Hundreds of menacing, grim-faced Khmer Rouge, guns at the ready were striding up and down the streets, moving systematically from door to door all over the city , ordering the numbed and terror-stricken occupants to get out at once. Any who reasoned, argued, procrastinated, or simply got in the wat were summarily shot down in a burst of bullets…
On today’s news there’s similar suffering. It’s convenient to distance myself from truth.
Discredited Truth: Throughout my life in church I’ve been taught ‘Christian Truth’. It’s central to my faith
Throughout my life – indeed throughout history –church leaders have lied, cheated, stolen funds, destroyed families, abused children. I’ve observed and been part of churches where ‘the truth’ has brought anxiety, suffering, alienation and pain.
Hypocrisy is seen in the church and by the wider world; ‘truth’ is discredited.
Demonstrated Truth: Jesus said, ‘I am the way the truth and the life’. He didn’t just teach truth, He lived it.
He didn’t just say, ‘Feed the hungry’ – He fed the hungry; He didn’t just say, ‘Blessed are the meek’ – He humbly washed his disciples’ feet; He didn’t just say, ‘Love God, love your neighbour’, he lived love.
This wasn’t destructive truth – it built people up; it wasn’t distanced – it was up-close and personal; it wasn’t discredited – no-one could find fault with Him. It was truth demonstrated in His life and ultimately in His death and resurrection…
malcolmsmusings.org 
Here’s well known quote by Sir Walter Scott: “Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive.” Unfortunately, lying seems to be more acceptable now even though God’s law forbidding it has not changed. Thank you, Malcolm. 🙂
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We seem to have lost the nobility of truth – in politics, in business, even in the church. Where it is talked about the emphasis seems to be on being right rather than living truth.
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Some people prefer not to know the truth . They would rather hear what makes life comfortable and easy for them. Truth forces us to face ourselves and admit that we fall short . But truth brings freedom.
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Thanks, Paula. I think that truth also brings humility. It makes me admit that I don’t always get it right.
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