A few years ago my dad became seriously ill. He is very active and so the first time he went to the hospital to find out what was wrong they told him he had the flu and some sore muscles. It was a diagnosis that sounded good and if it were true would have felt very good to hear, but I could tell my dad was in more pain than just sore muscles would cause.
The truth is powerful. Our perception of truth shapes the decisions we make and how we interpret events and situations in our lives. Thankfully the next day when my dad returned to the hospital a doctor determined he had flesh eating disease. Armed with this knowledge they took him into surgery and began removing infected tissue. Had my dad accepted the first diagnosis of the flu and sore muscles he would have been dead in a day or two.
The truth is independent of myself, I can think my dad has the flu, but this will not change the spread of those deadly microorganisms that cause flesh eating disease. I have had similar thoughts about my spiritual situation. I know that there is something not quite right about what I see. I know what I should do; treat people with respect, yet I am constantly falling short of my own expectations. You could assure me, “Heather, everyone messes up. To err is to be human.” But, what if this is just a sore muscle diagnosis? What if this is actually the symptom of a much more serious spiritual problem, one that needs action?
Growing up on a religious home I had heard about Jesus and the Bible. I wanted to find out if these were things I could trust. This sent me on a journey of seeking truth. Through this journey I learned that I could believe what the Bible says and that Jesus had a message of reconciliation. When you look at what He said in the Bible, Jesus was instructing us in reconciling and improving our relationships with people around us and with God. Through trusting and responding to Jesus’ invitation I have begun to see healing in my heart and in my relationships. My hope is that you too would experience that healing.
Be a seeker of truth. Don’t settle for pat answers, but deal with the brokenness in your heart. After many months in the hospital my dad won the battle against flesh eating disease because he continued to seek the truth until he found answers that dealt with the problem.
~ Heather
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