Truth

I have been thinking lately about things that sound true but maybe aren’t true…those things which sound true so we repeat them…tell them to others…even try to live by them.

Some old wives’ tales can fall into this category and since I seem to be heading toward qualifying as one of those, I am going to expose a couple of them!

When you were younger, did your mother ever tell you to put on a sweater so that you didn’t catch a cold? Where does that wisdom come from? Did I miss the research showing the cold-germ-repelling-force-field of the cardigan? The real truth of the statement – put on a sweater, your mother is cold.

How about the ‘eat your carrots they are good for your eyes’ story? If you still resisted were you asked if you had ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses? Did that seal that truth in your heart?

Did you know (verified by my friend Google) that, although carrots do contain vitamins which are beneficial to your eyes, the whole idea of carrots actually improving your eyesight was largely manufactured by the British as a bit of war propaganda?? It seems that the Brits were developing a new technology, radar, which was beginning to give them a distinct advantage in spotting and destroying enemy aircraft. In an attempt to keep that from being discovered, they put out the information that their best fighter pilot ate a lot of carrots and that was responsible for his exceptional eyesight and night vision and therefore for his success at destroying the enemy. Even the British citizenry bought into this, consuming carrots at every opportunity with the hope that it would help them have improved vision as they stumbled about in the dark due to blackouts. It didn’t help!

Seems harmless enough…even though it’s not quite right…eat your carrots…

What if someone repeating the ‘eat your carrots’ advice forgets which vegetable is involved? What if they substitute turnips? Not only have we veered completely into untruth…we have burdened someone unnecessarily with eating turnips!

Have you ever been at a place in your faith journey when you have heard something that sounded true, sounded right, and so you repeat it…even try to live by it, but somehow it just doesn’t seem to work? It just doesn’t help? Maybe the carrots got switched for turnips!

I have heard this or variations of this often: God will not allow you to go through more than you can handle. I wonder if this is a misquote or misunderstanding of the verse that talks about temptation – that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear – and that he will provide a way out. (1Cor10:13)

But this sounds good. I like the idea of being able to handle whatever! It all goes off the rails though when life throws something at me that I cannot handle…and life does that…we live in a fallen world and stuff happens…and it is not all good and I can’t handle all of it. If I have bought into the idea that God won’t give me more than I can handle and now I am at a place of more than I can handle, then I am obviously doing something wrong. Obviously I am not good enough…spiritual enough…not trying hard enough…

Anybody else ever been there?

Remember the story of David & Goliath? (1Sam 17) King Saul told David that he couldn’t fight Goliath – "you are only a boy" (vs. 33). Saul was right. David couldn’t handle this. David recognized this too – here are his words to Goliath: "David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me…"" (vs 45-46a)

David is telling Goliath that it’s not him – it’s God!

Remember the words from Isaiah: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour…” (Is. 43:2,3a)

Anybody out there who can handle walking through fire? Anybody? No – me neither! But that is just the point. It is not about what I can do or about what I can handle…it is always about who is walking with me. It always comes back to Immanuel…God with us!

Ruth