Pursue truth. That's number one. Seek truth and pursue it. Yes, of course this means in the area of spirituality, but not just there. In all things, at all times, be a lover of truth. In the how it works of most 12 Step programs you will usually hear about how the spiritual program of recovery works for those who are willing to be rigorously honest with themselves. If we are going to live a life of rigorous honesty, we must be careful not to feed on or allow lies. But walk in truth. That means practicing the spiritual principles that we have learned in all of our affairs at all of the time, to the best of our ability by grace, of course. Progress not perfection.
I'm not saying don't read fiction or watch fictional movies and TV. But I am saying let us not take in nor give out falsehood disguised as truth. People are going to believe different things, and so what one person may believe might be different that what others see as truth. Some truth is indeed relative because there is no way to objectively view all the facts. Therefore someone might believe one thing politically or on certain issues and have facts to back up their position while another person has facts that the believe proves the opposite. That's just the way it is. But here's a challenge to myself, and you are welcome to join me, Dear Reader. I pray you will.
Next Wednesday, March 1, is Ash Wednesday. Many will be giving something up for Lent. Whether you practice Lent or not, I challenge you to join me in total truth pursuit from March 1 until April 15 (unlike other Lenten fasts, I personally plan to include Sundays on this). First, let us not retell a single bit of hearsay or gossip that we do not know to be true. Not that we hope it's true or think it might be or probably is or even that we choose to believe it so that we can tell it. But let us be rigorously honest, and if we do not know it's true, don't state it as fact, whether it is about a person or a group or an issue. If someone is talking to us, and we see they are spreading gossip or hearsay, then let us dare to stand for truth enough to stop them, and say something like,I appreciate that you want to share this with me, but since neither of us were actually there and can't know for sure what happened, let's just agree to pray for those involved and talk about something else. And this is especially challenging and important when it comes to spirituality. Let us refuse to participate in gossip disguised as concern and or prayer requests. I don't need to know what you heard is going on with poor struggling so and so, especially if you don't KNOW it's true. Just give me a general, please be praying for so and so, they need it. That's enough. The Spirit knows what we need before we ask. I don't need the details, and neither do you.
And to quickly extend this to social media, how about 46 days of bogus facts and propaganda free life? Today is National Best Friends day. Tag your best friend and share. But it's six months old still being reshared. It will literally take less than a minute to check and see if it really is National Best Friends Day or if it really is the anniversary of the start of the invasion of whatever or if Bon Jovi really did die, and if so, was it really on this day in 2012? And did they really find Indiana Jones' whip in the desert sands and are the anti-film groups really upset about it? Easy to check. And if it's not true or accurate or right, let's not recycle it and spread it. And we want to be informed with and by truth, so let's not believe anything without looking to see if this is from a propaganda machine or is satire or if there is at least one legitimate news source agreeing or backing up the "facts" before we spread the news that the sky is falling, regardless of which side of the political or issue coin you call. I assure you, Trump is not even thinking about deporting American Indians, and people trying to make homosexual marriage legal are not really just instigating the first step of a super secret plot to make you have to legally allow your neighbor to marry your dog in your church. There are enough arguably true beliefs on all sides of the political spectrum and on every side of every divisive issue without any of us perpetuating the spread of the easily proven bogus and the ridiculous.
But more than simply not gossiping or not spreading questionable propaganda let us embrace, pursue and follow truth, wherever it is found and wherever it leads. If it leads to wow, the other side may be right, or may have a point there, then follow it. If it leads to yes, officer, I know why you pulled me over. I was speeding. Then go there. If it leads to I can't call in sick today though I really don't want to go to work, because I'm not sick, then go to work. If it means you can't go to work because you told the truth in your resume or on your application, then tell the truth, don't get the job, and keep looking for what you can get in the way of employment while staying in truth. If it means I always believed my church was right about this issue but the Bible actually says this, so I will chose to believe what Scripture says and not for comfort's sake follow the teachings of my pastor, my church, my denomination, my religion, my family etc. says over what God says, then leave your comfort zone for truth. You get the idea. Rigorous honesty taken as so real and important that we won't protect ourselves or excuse ourselves with or through lies and manipulations and we will not try to support or oppose any belief, argument, idea or cause with anything that we have not verified as true. I dare me to do this. I dare you. Truth and humility are inseparable. You can't have humility without pursuing truth.
Close to that is the second suggestion, which is to believe what God says is truth. Whether we can determine it or not, there is a true and a false that is not subjective or relative. For example, there is a God, and I am not Him. God created everything that has been created and is the standard for what is and isn't true. What I mean be that, is also another challenge. Let's decide to value God's statements as more true than our fallible reasonings, thoughts and feelings. If God says we should love our enemy, let's act as though He is right instead of listening to the natural inclination to hate the jerk who is attacking us, our beliefs, etc. If God says you have value, then choose to listen to that instead of to the voice, inside or out, that says you are worthless. We can lie to ourselves and deceive ourselves, we can manipulate our thoughts and feelings in order to justify, excuse or even condemn. We can use the lies we have believed about ourselves, good and bad, to interfere with what God wants to do in and through us. Get out of the way. Don't listen to yourself over God.
Also don't listen to others over God either, but do listen to others. Have someone, or more than one someone, in your life who is also pursuing God and can see you objectively. Tell me when you see me getting off course. I can't see through my own desires in this, so what is your advice about what is going on? My wife tells me when she thinks I'm being mean, and so I check myself. If she says I'm acting angry, I pay attention, because she can see things in my attitude long before they get bad enough for me to see them. Seek advice and correction, and don't fight it or blame shift or excuse or run away. Own your part in what others see in your attitude and behavior and then seek help from God to deal with it as He would have you.
Be teachable. None of us know everything or are always right. Sometimes we can learn, even from our enemies and those who clash with us personally and even those who are not as smart. Don't write anyone off as being unable to learn something from. God told the truth through a donkey once, and I seriously don't think there is a single person that God can't use to help us grow and draw us to Him.
It's part of the step work, part of Step 10. It's part of humility. Be quick to repent. We continue to take personal inventory,and when we are wrong, promptly admit it. Repent quickly and completely. Don't wait until everyone is planning the surprise intervention. Don't make someone force you to say Uncle. Don't run, twist the truth, excuse and shift blame until the fruits of the curse begin to bloom. Own your crap. If you get off track it isn't because that other person did whatever they did. I was wrong. I'm sorry. What can I do to make it right. What can I do to submit better so that God is able to remove this behavior and transform me further into the image of Jesus?
Also, give thanks with a grateful heart. Be grateful, and practice gratitude. Be thankful for people and tell them. Be thankful for God and for what He's done and doing and allowing you to experience, and tell Him. Proud people think they deserve everything. Humble people know they deserve hell. When we see anything beyond that as a real gift, we’re able to be thankful and grateful.
Finally, seek and celebrate and encourage God’s grace at work and others. I see God is changing you here, growing you here. I see what He’s doing through you here. I’see the progress being made in your life. Nurture and encourage others.
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