TRUTH, THE HARDER THING
Authenticity is one of my top core values. I believe in this stage of my life that I have an agile-enough heart and spirit to see good in all things, to honor folks different from me, and, at least, understand my limitations when neither of those other circumstances are true. “So, why lie to me?” I ask myself.
“Lies,” or what I perceived as lies, used to frustrate me immensely. Somedays, they still do. I used to rack my brain trying to understand why folks would lie, put on masks, etc. as if I would not be able to handle the truth of who they are or even the difficult situations. I used to think truth was simply the easier path, the path of least resistance. As I experience more and get to know more people on a more intimate and authentic level, I now believe that truth is the harder thing.
Truth requires us to unlearn all the lies that have been written onto our lenses and heart by society, circumstances, and other untruths. Today’s readings encourage us to do this unlearning and to live in what is true. That is, among other things that: “Jesus is the Christ,” we are promised eternal life; and that we already have the truth through our shared anointing. The encouragement is not that we need to go seek truth outside of ourselves (outside of what God has created us from); the call is to strip ourselves from all the untruths and remain in the truth - a much more difficult invitation.
May we be given the grace to unlearn the untruths we hold; to return to the truth of who we are; and to have patience with ourselves and others in the process.
Vivian Valencia