4. Scared of the New Truth
Back to The Spiritual Essentials
When Jesus was talking about his suffering, could the disciples have grasped enough of it to sense it was something so unpleasant that they simply did not want to know what Jesus talking about?
At all costs, we must pursue Jesus, who is Truth, even if it means having our pet theories blown out of the water, having to admit we were wrong, or being booted out of our church.
The cost of facing up to truth can sometimes be so great that it is exceeded only by the eventual reward. The disciples were in turmoil from Jesus’ arrest until his resurrection appearances. Could they have spared themselves so much distress and defeat if only they had had the courage to seek the truth earlier?
Multitudes foolishly refuse to become Christians because they won’t face the truth that they are sinners doomed to hell. They do not understand that seeking God for truth sets one free and is always abundantly rewarded, no matter how distasteful the truth initially seems.
Our need to swallow what seems bitter truth in order to savour God’s blessings does not end at salvation. Throughout our spiritual journey we face the dilemma of whether we will have the courage to embrace the next truth God dangles before us, or whether we will recoil from it in fear.
The enemy of our soul is the ultimate liar who loves to slander God. The deceiver is continually hinting to us that the Perfect One is harsh and egotistical. In reality, God is love, and true love is total unselfishness, as demonstrated by Jesus’ sacrifice. God’s will for you is always the greatest good his inexhaustible wisdom can conceive.
As I explain in a webpage devoted to the subject, to fear God’s will is as ridiculous as a shivering child fearing sunshine.
To miss God’s will is to miss the best we could have had and leap off a cliff in the dark. No matter how exhilarating the freefall, we will inevitably smash onto the rocks of regret somewhere below. Our only hope is that our crash is soon. The longer the painless fall, the more disastrous the end.
So courageously seek God’s truth at all times, knowing that ignorance is bliss that ends in tragic regret.