We are living in the midst of an incredible irony. Never before in human history have we had more access to more information. In seconds, we can find a treasure trove of information about any subject imaginable. It’s all there, all available, all free. And yet at the same time, never have we been less sure about who and what information to actually believe.
In a way, it seems like we are living in a house of mirrors at a carnival. You look around and everything has the look of reality, and yet when you get up close to it, you find that very few things are the actual, real thing and most everything else is in reality just a reflection of what is real.
Do you sense it, too?
Do you often wonder what organization to really believe? What statistics are actual? Who is telling the whole truth? Which post and which stream is truly unbiased? I certainly do. We are, it seems, not suffering from lack of information; we are suffering from lack of clarity.
Not so with the Bible though. The Bible will tell us the truth.
Sometimes that truth is what we want to hear – God’s love, His grace, His provision, His sustaining mercy – these are all true things that are, in a sense, pleasing to the ear. And to the heart. These are truths that meet us where we are, deep in the midst of our own anxiety, fear, and doubt and remind us of who God is and that we are His beloved children.
But truth is not like a buffet line in which you can get the pie but skip the lima beans. If the Bible is true about those things that are balms to our hearts and souls, then the Bible is also true about those things which challenge the way we are living, thinking, and making decisions. These are the hard truths of the Bible – the ones that call us to lives of greater obedience, self-sacrifice, and holiness. The truths that call us to stand in opposition to the cultural trends and demand that we have a different pattern of thinking than that of the world.
But these truths, too, are good for our souls.
Of course, you say, because the Bible is good for our souls. And right you are. All truth is good for us whether it’s easy truth or not. But beyond this broad sense in which the Bible is good for our souls, these hard truths are good for another reason as well. These hard truths are formative for our souls not just because of what they specifically teach us about God, ourselves, and the world – they are formative in general because of the posture they move us to.
Think about in terms of stretching. If you’re like me, there are some stretches you can do that are easier than others. You might be more flexible in your hamstrings than your lower back; you might be more flexible in your triceps than in your calf muscles. So while all stretching is a good thing for your overall health, some stretches are going to be more difficult than others. Should you avoid those because they are more painful? Absolutely not – in fact, the fact that they are more painful probably reveals which parts of your anatomy need the most work.
The same is true with the Bible, in a way. When we come up against a truth that is difficult for us to personally accept and live out, it doesn’t mean that we should avoid it. In fact, the fact that it’s difficult for us probably reveals something about our personal belief system or previous experiences or even our current lifestyle that needs to be stretched. It needs to be shaped. It needs to be worked.
This is why these hard truths are good for us – they force our whole selves into a posture of humble submission to God who always tells us the truth.
So, Christian, as you come up against these hard truths of the Bible, ask yourself: “Why am I having such difficulty with this?” And what you might find is that this truth – this hard truth – is a means of grace, stretching you into the person who humbly submits to the authority of God and His Word.
Subscribe to MichaelKelley.co
Never miss a new post. Subscribe to receive these posts in your inbox and to receive information about new discipleship resources.
“Lack of clarity”……….that’s what’s happening with certain things in my life right now. I’m attempting to work with a Homecare worker (& a supervisor), a Financial worker, and a Mental Health worker for my son. There are so many complications lately and lack of clarity in what they expect of me; what they expect of my son; and of what I feel I am hearing from them that seems to have changed since all this began 2 years ago. So, right now, some time is needed to continue from here and for better understanding to come, so that things can go smoothly. The problem I have is that all of these people seem to have come to a place where they aren’t sure what to say to me anymore, and in my mind, it looks like things went on smoothly for about 18 months, and that’s when things began to change. When that happened, new ways of dealing with my son were needed, in order for good progress to happen. It seemed that many of them were tired and didn’t want to be bothered anymore. So I eased off for awhile, and waited; then approached them one at a time, and they were more patient. Eventually, I was told that it might take some time to get “back on track” (now that I “broke the cycle”. I then began receiving calls from one of the workers, that they miscalculated the appointment time, and couldn’t come today. Okay. So I called her Supervisor, and she said she’d look into it. It’s been a week and a half and I have not heard anything. Meanwhile, my son doesn’t really know what happened. It looks to me as though clarity in many areas of what is needed and what is expected from all parties involved, (which actually is written on paper (for the first year and a half) is very much needed), and now a re-assessment is likely needed, but this hasn’t been offered. Much understanding is needed also………which I feel has been overlooked (or forgotten). It’s true that we like things when they’re going smoothly, and when the tough times come, it’s the wise ones who will stay through that part as well. Thanks for this post.