Leaning Forward: Truth, facts, and rose colored glasses

What the little kid in the dugout said resonates with me a lot. A man walked up and asked how the game was going. The kid said, "not bad. We're losing 24-0." "Oooh. That's awful. Aren't you discouraged about such a lop-sided score?", the man asked. "Nah," the kid said, "we haven't even come to bat yet!". My kind of kid, rose-colored glasses and all.

Then, of course, there are the facts. Mark Twain said, "Get the facts first, then you can distort them as you please". Still, even when we're gifted at weaving the facts in our own direction they can create cracks in the rose colored glasses. Reality is like that. Just the same, it's fun rummaging through the box of manure in search of the pony hidden in there somewhere. I mean, they are still essentially rose colored, even if cracked.

Then, enter truth. So, here is the basic life question, what is truth? This definition can be debated all day long by people a lot smarter than me. In the broadest sense, truth is what is true, the quality or state of being true, a statement or idea that is true or accepted as true. My personal Christian faith casts this discussion in another direction, defining truth as a "who" and not a "what". Jesus is the truth, and all truth derives from the One who created all things, for whom all things were created, and by whom all things hold together.

So, Mr. Optimist Bible-thumping realist, assess the times. This is where my personal tendencies, teh facts, and the rubrics of faith collide. The facts about culture are indisputable. Even the more liberal observers acknowledge the ramping up of the slippery slope and the continued erosion of national moral standards. Government is apparently dysfunctional, the church is marginalized, the educational system is on life support, and the foundational principles of civilized society are forgotten. We're in a mess. And, those broad characterizations are supported by pages of facts.

The truth is Jesus promised His people trouble in the world and even more so as the Day approaches. More truth is the reminder that He has overcome the world, that the final accounting of all things will register His people as Victors, and that in the end evil will be conquered, Satan thrown into a lake of fire, and His people will live with Him forever in the Heavenly Kingdom. Praise the Lord!

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.

Mark Twain

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.

Mark Twain

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
Mark Twain
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/facts.html#lkaCFbhbbRYpyYWH.99

So, let's relax, chill, and let the world go to you know where in a hand basket, PDQ. Right? Wrong. If we're talking truth, lets remember He sent us into this very same world to influence it as salt and light, to be His body on the mean streets---His hands, feet, and yes, His voice. We are to speak to the times, confront injustice, challenge the standards of the world, proclaim freedom to the enslaved, and live out this truth as evidence of His grace. We are victors, and should live like them.

The truth also tells us to work while there's light, to make the most of the time, to speak the truth boldly and in love, and hundreds of precepts Jesus left His followers. Of course, we're often pretty selective when choosing which truths to emphasize and teach, and which ones to ignore. This same body of truth advises us to not worry, to pray about everything, rely on His grace as our sufficient provision for all things, and to trust in Him in all matters.

So, armed with faith, His eternal promises, and the assurance of His eternal victory, even with the stark facts of life, Mr. Rose Colored glasses is going to believe that we can influence these times by living the life He empowered us to live.

In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:12