I've been Constantly Thinking about truth vs. facts.
Facts are interesting. They can be completely misinterpreted. People can see or learn of the same facts and come to completely different conclusions.
An example - you're walking with a friend and she suddenly gets a bee in her hair. You start trying to swat it away - beating her senselessly on the back of her head - or so it appears to people who don't know what you're doing. Now, if you're a man and she's a woman (or you're a parent and she's a child), this can completely give the wrong impression.
The facts appear to be that you're hitting her in the back of the head - although you may just be touching her hair. Even if you do hit her in the head - it's for her own benefit, and probably at her request.
Another example - you glance at a handsome man and right at that moment an eyelash gets in your eye. (Yes, it happens!) So you wink at him...or so he thinks.
How many of us have sat on a squeaky chair and known that others around us thought we just passed gas?
Or, you walk up on Jesus washing Peter's feet. Who would you think the Messiah was? Certainly not the foot washer.
How many people have been incorrectly convicted of a crime because of facts being misinterpreted? We read about it all the time, unfortunately.
How many bosses, pastors, parents, teachers have been considered mean or cruel because the employees, congregants, students or children based their opinions on facts vs. truth?
As a 3-year-old we might think, "My mom is mean because she won't let me play with scissors."
As a 13-year-old we might think, "My parents are mean because they won't let me hang out with that boy."
As a 23-year-old we might think, "My boss is mean because he didn't think my suggestion was a good idea."
As a 33-year-old we might think, "I'm not happy with my pastor because he said being in debt was a sin."
We all do it at some point - base our opinions on facts vs. truth. Truth, however, is different. There are no "versions" of the truth. The truth just is.
The truth is our mom is trying to save our little life by not letting us play with scissors; our parents are trying to keep us away from a bad influence for any number of reasons; our boss didn't choose our idea because we couldn't see the corporate big picture; and our pastor is just giving it to us straight not trying to sugarcoat the truth and not picking on us.
Facts cannot only be misleading, they can be dangerous. Some facts are just red herrings - thrown out there to get us off-track or throw us off the scent of truth. ("The killer wore a red sweater. Isn't it true that you own a red sweater?")
Instead of forming our beliefs on facts and deciding it's truth, we should instead see facts in relation to the truth.
God's word says that by Jesus' stripes I AM healed, so it doesn't matter what the facts look like (or what it feels like) right now.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Me," so it doesn't matter if we see Him nailed to a cross. He's not just a man, so He's not just going to die like a man. He's coming back because He said He was - and that's truth.
Most people's moods blow like the wind blows because their perceptions are all based on circumstance (or facts). Someone gives you a compliment or a raise, then you're in a good mood. Someone cuts you off in traffic or gives you a dirty look or doesn't call when they said they would, and you're in a bad mood. Facts or circumstances blow you around like tumbleweeds.
Truth says, however, that you're beautiful whether you get a compliment or not. You have value whether you get a raise or not. Traffic happens, it's not personal. The person who gave you a dirty look may have gas. (Hey, that's the 2nd flatulence reference in this blog!) The person who didn't call when they said they would - it could mean anything - and none of it has to be negative toward you.
I believe that the truth always comes out. The thing about truth, though, is that many times it can't be defended. It has to be discovered. Trying to convince someone of the truth can be pointless and fruitless. Jesus didn't fight with the Pharisees about who He was. If they didn't want to believe, that was their choice, to their detriment.
I've come to the realization that my perception of things can be completely incorrect. I might have misread the facts, or been influenced by negative (or positive) circumstances. The truth might be something different altogether.
Sometimes when I can't figure things out, I just have to let it go and decide that the truth will come out at some point. And it always does - sooner or later - good or bad.
This year should be a year of truth discovery. Discover the truth before you form opinions or take action. Consider the truth about a person's character before you begin or end a relationship with them. Let's not trip over or trip on facts this year.
Keep in mind, however, that once you know the truth, much of what you do will be a "faith walk" because you'll be operating not based on what you see (facts and circumstances) but what you know to be "true."
By the way, a good place to start is with the "universal truths" and there are a lot of them. I'll share some in my next blog. Please feel free to share the ones you've discovered.
Until then, I'm...
Constantly Thinking
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