Truth!
Boy, at all times tell the truth,
Let no lie defile thy mouth;
If thou art wrong, be still the same —
Speak the truth and bear the blame.
Truth is honest, truth is sure;
Truth is strong, and must endure;
Falsehood lasts a single day,
Then it vanishes away.
Boy, at all times tell the truth,
Let no lie defile thy mouth;
Truth is steadfast, sure, and fast —
Certain to prevail at last.
Author Unknown
In contrast to some Eastern spiritual traditions, Western Christianity understands the world as existing on its own separate from our minds and regardless of what we believe about it.
So either the climate is slowly warming or it is not slowly warming, but whether it is warming or not is not dependent on me believing it is. Either Joe Biden received more votes or Donald Trump did in 2020, but me believing one way or the other does not change the actual number.
Our beliefs do matter, however, because they motivate our actions. It is in our own best interest to make sure our minds align with reality, or our choices will be poor ones.
I may not believe in gravity, for example, but if I jump off my apartment balcony, I’m going to hit the ground at the same speed as someone who does. It is not reality that is in danger. It is me.
My Commentary:
This reflection brings together two essential truths: the moral call to honesty, and the reality that truth exists whether we accept it or not.
The poem is simple and direct. Tell the truth. Even when it costs you. Even when you are wrong. There is a quiet courage in that kind of honesty. To “bear the blame” is not weakness — it is strength of character. It means you value truth more than your image.
The second part deepens the lesson. Truth is not something we create. It is something we discover. The world is not shaped by our opinions or preferences. It stands as it is. Whether it is the laws of nature, the outcome of an election, or the condition of our world — truth remains unchanged by belief.
That is both humbling and freeing.
Humbling, because it reminds us that we are not the authors of reality. Freeing, because it anchors us. We are not drifting in a world of shifting opinions; there is something solid beneath us.
The real danger, then, is not that truth will fail. Truth endures. The danger is that we will separate ourselves from it. When our beliefs drift from reality, our decisions suffer. We begin to act on illusions, and those illusions eventually collapse.
The example of gravity says it plainly: reality does not adjust to us — we must adjust to reality.
From a Christian perspective, this takes on an even deeper meaning. Truth is not only a principle; it is personal. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus says. To live truthfully is not just to speak honestly, but to align our lives with what is real, good, and enduring.
In the end, truth does prevail — not always quickly, not always easily, but surely.
The question is not whether truth will stand.
The question is whether we will stand with it.
Do YOU feel YOU are drifting in a world of shifting opinions? Do you search for the truth, or do you just walk away or change the channel?
SPIRITUAL DEATH HAPPENS ONE COMPROMISE AT A TIME!
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