Truth

Truth.

The simple utterance of that lone word can sometimes, in this enlightened day and age, cause folks to bristle, as their hairs stand on end. Hearing that word might make you wonder what the speaker of that work will say next. Is there one truth? Are there many truths? Are people who claim that there is only one truth nothing but intolerant, judgmental, clanging cymbals who need to put a cork in it and stop acting like they know it all?

I don't think it's a stretch to say that it can be difficult for someone to state that there is absolute truth that can be found and known without being labeled as "intolerant." Indeed, it is neither politically correct nor socially popular to assert that Jesus is the only way to life everlasting.

However, just because something is unpopular or not viewed as politically correct, doesn't mean I am going to withhold from saying or doing it if I believe in it.

I believe that Jesus is truth. Absolute truth, to be exact.

How intolerant! How judgmental! How exclusive and know it all can you possibly be to assert that, Emily?!? Don't you know how awful it is to shove your own truth down someone else's throat?

But herein lies the rub with those arguments: I don't think you have to be judgmental or rude or have a know-it-all attitude or shove anything down anyone's anything to believe that there is absolute truth. Part of the problem is that there are many Christians, myself sometimes definitely included, who sometimes give Christians a bad name!

I don't think that because some Christians have defended our faith in a manner that has rubbed some people the wrong way, that it means that Christianity itself ought to be discredited. The truth in a faith should not be measured by the goodness in its adherents, for all humans are at some times hypocritical and at all times imperfect, but it should instead be measured by the Person (Jesus Christ, in my belief) behind the faith.

What do I believe? Well, I'm so glad you asked.

I believe there is truth. Absolute truth that can be found and claimed. Truth that a life of peace can be built upon. I've talked about this before and I have no reason to stop sharing it now. I believe that Jesus was real, that He was who He claimed to be, that He died for our sins and that through believing in Him, and not through any religion, we can have eternal life after we die. It is the truth of Jesus that guides my life and I will sing of Him here on earth until the day I join Him in paradise.

Stop the presses! Stop the presses!

Did Emily just claim to know the truth, the only truth, about getting to Heaven? Now wait just a minute. Isn't that intolerant? I mean, what about other religions, practiced by good people? What about not shoving our beliefs down anyone's throat? What about personal freedom to believe whatever someone wants to? To believe in what works for them? Isn't it awfully rude and condescending to share the truth as if it were the absolute, the only real truth out there?

Well, I'll tell you what I think about that. I do believe very strongly in NOT shoving beliefs down anyone's throat. I do not value rudeness for any reason, and condescending tones have no place in a mature discussion of faith. After all, no one's cause, not matter what is at stake, is going to be furthered by rude and judgmental behavior. As far as personal beliefs, yes, I do very much think that everyone should be entitled to their own opinion, and allowed to find truth for themselves. Without a doubt!

Please understand that I am not here to tell you how to live your life. I am sharing how I have found truth that has changed my life.

And, quite honestly, what kind of person would I be if I felt so passionately about something so important, but didn't share it because it wasn't politically correct to share or because others might think I was being judgmental or condescending? If I believe something that is amazing and worth living for, I absolutely want to share it!

I have found that having Jesus in my life has brought me a deep joy and a sense of hope. And I want to share what I've found! That's only natural.

Think about it. What if I, along with hundreds of other people, was lost in a forest? For days upon days, we wandered in the woods, disoriented and hungry. Imagine that a group of people happened upon a pile of acorns. Although not delicious, the acorns were eaten by that group and seen as a wonderful source of food, since there was nothing else to eat. And perhaps others found field of small green plants that could be eaten. For days and days, that group feasted on the green plants that, although somewhat bitter, sustained them. But what if I for some reason happened upon a valley that flowed with chocolate and lush strawberries growing in expansive fields and sweet nectar that gushed out of springs?

What if I kept that wonderful truth of the existence of that amazing valley to myself? Perhaps the others lost in the forest liked the acorns, I could tell myself. I would hate to impose on someone who truly enjoyed the bitter plants, I might reason. If what they have chosen is working for them, who am I to point out any alternative? But as I feasted on fruit and honey, satisfied to the full, what kind of person would I be if I didn't at least try to share? Indeed, I should long for the others who were settling for what I considered to be second best to come and experience the valley with me.

Granted, some of them might not. They might be perfectly happy with their acorns and plants. And that would be their choice; I would respect that. But if I truly felt that what I had found was worth experiencing, I would at least try to share my findings, leaving it up to the other person what they wanted to do.

Simply sharing what we believe and what has transformed our lives, and opening up a discussion, is not being intolerant, no matter what the world tries to tell us!!

It is like that with my faith. The peace and hope I have in my life because of Jesus is simply too amazing for me to keep to myself! The freedom from guilt and shame, the joy even in struggles and the hope that comes from knowing this world is not the end is so beautiful and life-altering that I can hardly keep from sharing it!

Does that make me intolerant of others, who believe in different religions? I don't think so. In fact, I would hope that others who believed strongly about their faith would also want to share. I personally have friends who practice Hindi, some who are strict Catholics, Jewish and others who share similar beliefs as I do. And because I believe that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the way to salvation and everlasting life doesn't mean I don't find value and worth in people who don't believe that.

It's just that, as harsh as this may seem, I have decided to believe Jesus when He says that it is through Him alone, and anyone of any religion can claim His gift, that we are saved. It is not my choice to be exclusive (John 14:6). It is my choice to believe what God says. And I personally do not believe in the idea of a personal truth. I do not mean to be intolerant or a know it all. In fact, it just seems only logical that there cannot be many truths, simply by using the definition of truth.

Indeed, truth is truth.

Truth is not relative. There is no truth for you, and truth for me. Truth is absolute. That is not my opinion, it is the definition of truth.

In our world, yellow mixed with blue makes green. That is just how it works. It's truth. If you were to believe that yellow and blue made red, you would be mistaken, no matter how firmly you held that belief. You might claim yellow and blue make red for you and that is your personal truth, but you would be wrong. Simply believing something cannot make it true. You don't have to like that yellow and blue make green, but they do. You don't even have to believe that yellow and blue make green, but your not believing doesn't make it not true.

The fact that yellow and blue make green is as absolute as the fact that I took these pictures at a Celine Dion concert from the fifth row less than a year ago.







I did. I took these photographs through tears of joy and utter happiness mixed with bliss. I can even tell you the exact songs she was singing when each picture was snapped. My dream had come true AGAIN, thanks to my beautiful and selfless older sister.

Whether you believe in something or not, does not have any bearing on whether or not it is really true. So either I took this photograph, or I did not. There is no, "If you want to believe that Emily took that picture of Celine, that's great for you, but I don't believe it and that's okay for me."

Like it or not, it does not work that way.

There is an absolute truth about these photographs. Either I did take the pictures from a Celine Dion concert in Houston, Texas last summer, or I did not. Now, you may not know if I really took the pictures or not, since you were not there, but that does not change the fact that there is an absolute truth. Either I took those photos, or I didn't. Truth is not relative. It does not hang in the balance. It hinges on nothing. That is what truth means! Either I photographed Celine Dion at that concert or I did not. Because you can see the pictures above, there is no denying that someone took the picture of Celine Dion. There is no room for any middle ground: the pictures exist.

And, either Jesus is real, and He died on the cross and rose again as the only way to Heaven, for everyone in the world, or He did not.

And that is what I believe. In my life, Jesus is real, He died on the cross and rose again and he IS the only way to Heaven for everyone in the world.

To be honest, I do not see how personal truth has any relevance in my life. In fact, I definitely go so far as to say there is no such thing. Personal truth is an oxymoron. I do not believe that there are many ways to Heaven. I realize that some people think there are, but the mere thinking that there are many ways to Heaven does not itself create many ways. Either there are many ways, or there are not. I happen to believe that Jesus offers the only path to life after we die. And you do not have to believe that! But simply because some people choose not to believe that, doesn't mean it's not true, just as my believing it does not make it true. The choice to not believe in something has no power in and of itself: disbelief in something can't make it not true.

You might believe, deep in your heart, that even though I told you I did, that I did not actually take that photograph of Celine. But the fact of the matter is, I did! You can believe all you want that I did not, but that won't change the truth!

Therefore, by the same token...

You might believe, deep in your heart, that Jesus' death on the cross is not the only means of salvation beyond this earth. But the fact of the matter is, Jesus Himself claims to be the only way, and I believe Him. You can believe all you want that He is not, but that won't change the truth. Either He is or He isn't. Either He can save everyone, or He can save no one. I firmly believe there is NO ROOM to believe that He is for me, but not for everyone else.

I believe I have found a truth that is more than equal to a valley of chocolate and strawberries. The sweet truth of Jesus has transformed my life and satiated my soul. To keep silent about that would be pure stupidity! I certainly don't want to step on toes, but I also don't want to hinder anyone from finding the peace and love that I know because of Jesus.