‘Your Truth’ and ‘My Truth’

Truth has taken a beating lately. Everyone apparently knows what it is – but no one agrees on “it.” But before you let that truth spoil your day, take heart. Society, in all its wondrous ingenuity, has found a solution:

We now have “your truth” and “my truth.”

Happily, the intelligentsia of Celebrity-ville are leading the way. Pop diva Rihanna, for instance, informs us, “I just live my truth.” We find consummate wise man and constant center of controversy, actor Charlie Sheen, telling all who will listen, “All I can do is speak my truth.” And maturing actress Dakota Fanning has described life as a quest for “finding her truth.”

Isn’t it wonderful? Just decide what you want “your truth” to be and there you have it. And no one can tell you differently. No one-size-fits-all. Choose whatever size you like. Very convenient.

But Hollywood, courtesy of Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men,” also gives us this insight: “You can’t handle the truth!”

The problem is, truth in real life isn’t always accommodating. In the physical realm we refer to truth as “physical laws.” Suppose I’m in a small plane and on a whim, elect to jump out sans a parachute. Based on “my truth,” I’ve decided I don’t believe anymore in gravity. Sadly, that won’t stop me from impersonating a pancake once I converge with terra firma.

Similarly, suppose “my truth” objects to the physical law that states two objects can’t occupy the same space at the same time. Despite my objection, if I step in front of a moving bus, “my truth” will be overruled.

But that’s physical law. When people say “my truth,” they’re referring to beliefs, especially as they relate to morals and ethics, right? OK. In the 1930s and early 1940s, Adolf Hitler, an avowed Darwinist, determined to give evolution a boost by exterminating millions of Jews. We call this the Holocaust, and rightly so. But that was Hitler’s “truth.”

In the 1800s, thousands of slave owners operated according to “their truth” in owning slaves, treating and using men, women and children as little more than animals. It took courageous individuals of conviction like William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln and others, who held to a different “truth,” to abolish this horrendous and inhumane practice. These “truths” collided and could not coexist.

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, convicted of sexually molesting numerous boys over many years, apparently adopted a “truth” that such behavior was not wrong.

We could cite numerous examples of business leaders, politicians and sports figures who also acted according to “their truth,” engaging in all manner of morally and ethically scandalous behavior for their own ends. 

Therein lies the problem: Do we have the option to select truth according to our personal preference? Society would say yes – that is, unless society disagrees with “your truth.”

When I’ve engaged with some people in spiritual discussions, they’ve conveniently responded with, “Well, that’s your truth.” In one sense, they’re right. It’s what I understand as truth, but not because that’s what I want it to be. I hold to biblical truth because I believe that’s exactly what it is.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). That’s His words, not mine. Heck, if it was up to me, I’d probably go with the mantra, “any way’s the right way – as long as you’re sincere.” But it’s not up to me.

He also stated, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). We talk a lot about freedom these days, but do we really know what it is? Jesus promised freedom in the broadest and grandest sense. And from experience and observation, I’ve discovered truth really can – and will – set anyone free that’s willing to embrace it.

To me, the issue is not “your truth” or “my truth.” At issue is…God’s truth.