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Victor living hinges on dealing with the truth and rejecting lies that come our way. Sadly, it is difficult to separate the two in some situations that we come against. I happen to believe that the vast majority of the situations that have driven our society into such a Victim-Based frenzy is the fact that we are all too willing to accept the lie and reject the truth of any given situation.
People are so scared of the truth. Scared, that is, unless the truth happens to align with what that person happens to believe is correct. Society has degenerated to the point where truth has become so relative. Truth is what you feel is correct. Hold a truth that differs from mine and relationship becomes a causality. The polarization of relationships into groups of those who agree with my truth is a place where horrific victimization opportunities abound. It is so easy to let hate and evil be a part of my actions when whatever I hold as truth is so closely tied to who I am.
That's why there is so much divisiveness in our world today. We don't know who we are. We are using our believes and the resulting truths from those beliefs to be what forms the basis of identity. Come against that truth and you are directly assaulting who I am. When identity is threatened it is so easy to make victims of those all around us.
This principal is just as true if we use religion as the basis of who we are. If you see your identity steeped in what it means to be a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim, it is so easy to allow radical thinking to take hold in victimizing ways. Same goes if the foundation of your identity is based on your sexual orientation, your ethnic background, your socioeconomic standing, your political affiliation, or any other worldly identifier. If you look to this world for the basis of who you are those who aren't like you are going to come against your understanding of truth in ways that will cause division and ultimately victimization.
It all comes down to right and wrong. If I hold the belief that my thinking is right and yours is wrong, we now have a situation where victim thinking can take hold. If my belief is a cornerstone to who I see myself as being, then our disagreement just can't be tolerated. I have to be proven right and you must be proven wrong. Can't you hear the potential for victimization in that last statement? Our current political and social environment is a prime example of what I'm talking about here. There is a level of hatred and animosity in our world today that is actually celebrated, as long as you are on the right side of the truth that some hold so dear.
School shootings, racial discord, churches being burned, abortion clinics being bombed, beheadings, and a host of other atrocities have their roots in the radical believe that one truth is worth killing for over another. If acts of violence are the result when truths are too closely tied to who we are, the potential fixes to these issues that plague society are just as divisive. Often times the division that comes when trying to find answers to the victim making problems of society cause just a many victims as does the horrific things one person does to another in the name of truth.
We need to know what the truth is. Sometimes, the truth hurts. Often the truth makes us dig in deep into who we are in ways we really don't want to do. What I am finding is that truth has to be something we are extremely committed to but not something that we use to define who we are. That even is the case with the information I'm presenting in these podcasts. Truth is, that truth is something we have to believe in but shouldn't be willing to divide over and make victims in defense of that truth. That's a lot easier said than done.
The truth that has made a difference for me is that my identity is becoming more and more based on what God says about me. This is a truth that I hold very closely to who I am. I am not willing to divide over this truth. If you find a truth that works for you when it comes to identity and that truth is open to disagreement and inclusion, then I want to have a deep and meaningful conversation over that truth. I may not agree with you to the point of wanting to change my truth, but I desperately want to connect with others who are just as passionate about unity through identity. It is when we can come together in a way that accepts who we each are that unity has the power to make amazing things happen in our world.
Problem is that we are too invested in our own truths. We promote them in ways that make it hard for others to have differing views. We segregate ourselves in ways where our truth becomes more and more evident. When all we hear is the virtues of our own truth, other believes seems more and more intolerable. Self segregation is such a victim thinker's way of living life. Having to be proven right and taking steps to make relationships be part of that proof makes it so easy to make victims of those who find themselves outside of our own little circles.
So, what's a person to do with truth? Is all truth to be accepted and promoted? Is my truth to be subjugated to someone else's truth? Am I suppose to not hold my truth up in a way that makes a difference in this world? What's the truth about how I'm to handle truth in the world today? I think today's Bible reading really says it all.
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (ESV)
Truth not based on love isn't a truth that is worth anything as far as I can tell from our reading today. We are to love in truth. I think that answers all the questions surrounding how to handle truth in our everyday life. Love has to be the foundation from which truth is built. If love is missing, the truth that we hold so dear is doomed to failure at the first sign of trouble. The foundation of love makes what gets built on truth something that can stand the test of time.
That's why the horrible things that have been done and are being done in the name of whatever God you hold as being truth is such an affront to that God you revere. I happen to believe that all expressions of what someone calls a God is something that is suppose to be based on love. If your God isn't based on love, why would you want that kind of truth to be a part of what you work to spread in this world? Even that last statement can be taken in an offensive way if your idea of love differs from mine. What I hope is that we can come together over our differences rather than being divided by them.
Truth is a difficult topic for us in today's age. The divisions are so great today that I'm afraid truth based on love is something that we might not be able to get back to in the short term. It is when we stop and take an honest look at where we are that maybe things will change. How good for our society has our vigorous defense of the truths we hold so dear been? How much has love been sacrificed for the truth we are so willing to die for? How much damage has our truth caused another people and how much victim thinking has our truth unleashed in our world today?
Victors have to be willing to look closely at their own truths and hold them loosely when it comes to the truths others have about their lives. We have to let love be the guide to how we interact with opposing views of what truth is and let unity be the driving force behind how we defend our own ideals. I'm not saying that you should compromise your view of truth. What I'm saying is that we need to be willing to let our truth guide us in a love based strategy that brings us together not pushes us apart.
Tomorrow we will take a look at how lies play a role in how truth impacts our identity. Let your truth guide you. Let it be part of the what makes you do what you feel called to do today. But, make love be the foundation for that truth you use to make your actions be all they can be in your world today.
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