“Stop searching for truth and just live in a fantasy.”
That’s what the bumper sticker on the car in front of me read last week. This time of year, it’s tempting to crawl into a hallmark marathon and try to pretend it’s the real deal.
But it’s not real, and truth is worth searching for. I think we have all heard the line from “Shawshank Redemption” where Red says, “The truth will set you free.” It’s not just a movie quote, but it’s in the Bible. Yep, Jesus said it first. John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Right now, people are searching for truth. We are currently in several situations that make it hard for people to believe in… well, anything. So instead, they search for something to feel better about life. They create a narrative that justifies their emotions, and the longer they develop it, the story “becomes” their truth, their comfortable fantasy.
The danger in this is that seeking comfort over truth can destroy any hope we have of trusting the one thing that matters.
In the busyness of life, Christmas can be so unsatisfying for many of us. It can spark thoughts of “good news,” but often we celebrate and move on to January, where we set our sites on self-improvement and self-help.
This year, let’s pause and pray the Christmas message doesn’t just get a glimpse in our year, but we would dig into the truth deeper. The story of the baby in the manger was only part of an ongoing history that started with a good God who longed to free the people he loved.
God created Adam and Eve knowing they would sin. He knew because of their sin, they would never be able to join Him in a perfect place. So God whispered his rescue plan to generations in the bible. Then, in a most brilliant, better than fiction way, he made a way to save everyone who would believe in the truth. He sent his Son in the form of a baby to live the perfect life we could never obtain and die as a perfect sacrifice so that we may join Him in His perfection.
Maybe to you, that all seems like a fairy tale, but it’s not. Truth is not dependent on personal emotion. So this year, let’s pray to see what is real.
HLLF –Melissa
