by Ashley Vinti
John 1: 17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Christ.
John 14: 6
I am the way and the truth and the life…
It’s an interesting time to be a high school writing teacher. The primary means of communication transform at an unprecedented pace and students process information in bite sized, cropped narratives. Each day, it becomes more challenging to inspire students to commit to the process and value of writing- to accept that they might not see the fruits of their labor immediately. Despite the difficulties I encounter on a daily basis, I enjoy my job, and argument is by far my favorite unit to teach. My students come in with excitement and investment, eager to voice their opinions and speak their minds. Then, we get a few weeks into the unit, and their passionate, expressive outbursts lessen. They become slower to speak, and their eyes widen as they carefully contemplate the question, “What constitutes truth?” The array of responses fascinates me:
“Facts, Miss. Facts are truth.”
“Truth is anything supported byevidence.”
“Truth is supported by sources.”
“Truth is what I make it.”
“Truth is different for everyone.”
“Truth is anything that can be physically observed.”
While we debrief each of these, the conversations concerning the last one always trip me up. As a class, we agree to a definition along the lines of an observable, absolute, and objective physical reality. I can tolerate the practicality of this definition as a public educator, but a surge of gratitude wells up inside me as I remember that the truth that we are given as children of God is one that supersedes logic, supersedes our physical realities, and supersedes our circumstance.
Our worldly attempts to find truth fail; the media is laden with examples of framing facts with intentions to blame, crucify, and villainize, and divide, but the absolute certainty of God’s love for us in Christ frames fact with intentions to love without condition, demonstrate compassion without reserve, and boldly extend grace and forgiveness without limit.
In a world where observable realities are manipulated and fiction and misinformation are presented and detrimentally accepted as fact, let us be encouraged that we are given unshakeable steadfast truth in Christ. Let us keep our eyes on Him, fully convinced that His being sanctifies us, liberates us, and gives us life. Let who we are lead people to consider answering the question of what is truth with a definitive conviction of who is truth.
Prayer
Lord,
Give us the discernment and wisdom to filter through the fake news and to boldly live out the truth of the good news. Let each day of our lives be a proclamation of your truth and not our own limited, subjective, fickle realities.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
