Without exception, every one of us has been told a lie, and we have probably told a few ourselves. The mistake many of us make is that just because it is on the TV or in a newspaper, we believe it must be the truth. I recently found myself asking the awkward question, “Just because I heard it in church, is it the truth?”
It is always disappointing when a politician or a friend tells you a lie. But imagine if what the minister says on a Sunday is not the truth. That would be shocking, but not a total surprise. Many people in our secular (non-religious) country can tell you stories of lies and half-truths that they have heard in church. People that are so disappointed that they can never again trust.
The danger is not only the lies we are told, but that we can choose to believe what we want to believe. If you believe something, you can make it your truth. But is it really the truth? Jesus once put it so well, saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Truth is more than words on my lips, it is my heart and my life.
In a world full of lies and institutions built on deception, it is our duty to live truth. But what is truth? Truth is the absence of untruth. Be warned, some things may sound true but may be well-disguised lies. The biggest lie is a half-truth.
PS. Strive to be truthful.