“Truth is Relative – Pick One That Works.”
That was one of the many great lines uttered by lawyer Sebastian Shark on Monday night in the new series “Shark”. Faced with 2 pieces of evidence that contradict each other, Shark is instructing his team to run with the one that will win their case, and pretend the other one never existed.
Most people are probably fairly cynical about those who claim to tell the truth these days. We have found out that most people only present the truth that works for them. Politicians will report truths that provide an electoral advantage, and dispute or minimise truths that don’t. They will emphasise certain things to certain groups because that’s what will work for them on polling day. Lawyers do the same thing to win cases. Advertisers do the same thing to sell products or services.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we have all been guilty of being selective with the truth at times – even of telling outright lies. Parents sometimes do it with their kids in order to avoid difficult topics or to produce certain behaviour. Kids do it with parents to keep them of their backs or to shift blame. Employees do it with employers to get time off or to justify some delay or mistake.
In fact, I have seen on many occasions that people not only deceive others, but also themselves. It is easier to believe our own lies than to face things that are difficult to acknowledge or deal with. It works for us to believe others are guilty and we are innocent. Others are ignorant and we are wise. Others have hidden agendas but we are fair-minded. We reinterpret events to come up with a “truth” that works for us.
But have we lost sight of what truth really is? Have we lost the value of honesty, and the confidence that it gives us in our relationships with each other?
If we know that we bend the truth sometimes, when situations are awkward or not to our advantage – then we must also be aware that others are doing the same thing. When we lie to our children – even about trivial things - we must realise that we are training them to lie to us one day.
One of the things that most of us value most in a relationship is trust. It doesn’t matter what type of relationship – work, family, friendship and so on - we need to be able to trust those people for the relationship to work.
Trustworthiness is a character attribute – it is not selective. If you are prepared to lie to your boss or the ATO you will also be prepared to lie to your wife or husband or whoever you are closest to. In the same way a personal commitment to honesty and truth is reflected in every part of life.
When Jesus was choosing the 12 men who He would invest the majority of His time and energy into, He said that one of them (
That’s one reason I invest time studying each week before I preach or teach. I want to be sure that I am not saying stuff that I want people to hear. I need to know thoroughly what the Bible has to say, and I need to give God the opportunity to teach and prepare me before I can pass that on to others. I have become convinced over the years in the trustworthiness of the Bible in being able to teach us all we need in order to know God and live as His children. The Bible reveals Jesus, who never minced words or was false in any way. Rather He is “the way and the truth and the life.”[2]. Real truth, real direction and real life are only found in relationship with Him. Anyone will tell you what they want you to hear. Lots of people will tell you what you want to hear. Wouldn’t you rather have the truth?
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