Truth...

"What is truth?" a Governor once asked a famous Man. A question that still resounds in our world today.

Truth. A word which takes a mere second to speak, yet an eternity to understand. 

Each of us has a truth buried deep inside, given to us to tend, feed and grow. 

Some do not take care of this "seed" and it becomes twisted, a grotesque form that barely resembles the original. This twisted form does not bring life with it. It invades and spoils other's truth. It seeks to muddy the purity of healthy Truth. It will never bring life, wholeness, goodness. It can only tear down and destroy. It has a name and that is....lie!

We have all been at the mercy of this twisted form, at one time or another, in our lives. It has touched us with it's filth and sought to bring us down. Some have succumbed and fallen but others have battled, fought the good fight...... and won! Some are still battling. 

It is too easy to get caught up in a web of deceitful muck, to be weighed down by untruths, to be barraged by exaggerations. The desire to get clear of the mire is strong but one can feel like they are sinking in quicksand. Hitting out at the lie is like punching out at gossamer. Fruitless. The lie will parry and thrust and score another vital point in it's battle to destroy.

If you are one of these take heart! Truth is there inside you. Waiting to be accessed! The lie is a toothless lion. It roars but it has no real power. It only has the power that we give it. 

Imagination builds up the lie and makes it appear unbeatable, but allow TRUTH to rise and the muddy becomes clear. The roaring toothless lion becomes a small buzzing fly. Irritating but manageable.

What is TRUTH? It isn't man-made. It isn't what makes us "happy" or puffs us up to be better than an other. 

Truth is what makes us real. The One who made us has also place Truth in us. 

 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

It may take an eternity for us to understand Truth but we have not been left alone. We have that seed inside. Find it, hang on to it, protect it, feed it and keep it healthy. Grow it, use it.... BE IT!

My! This has been a rather heavy entry!  Time for some words from some favourite characters. If you want... and I only say IF...

The two Queens looked at each other, and the Red Queen remarked, with a little shudder, ‘She says she only said “if”—’

‘But she said a great deal more than that!’ the White Queen moaned, wringing her hands. ‘Oh, ever so much more than that!’

‘So you did, you know,’ the Red Queen said to Alice. ‘Always speak the truth — think before you speak — and write it down afterwards.’

Who am I?

'Who are you?' said the Caterpillar. 

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'

'What do you mean by that?' said the Caterpillar sternly. 'Explain yourself!'

'I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir' said Alice, 'because I'm not myself, you see.'.......

How does one get to this point in one's life and NOT know who they are? I don't really know the answer to that one. Perhaps there isn't ONE answer. Perhaps is is a succession of answers.

I remember who I wanted to be. Different people through the years. I don't mean specific people, I mean TYPES of people. Mostly brave, popular, daring, strong, flamboyant, talented, did I mention popular?  Unfortunately, I felt that I was none of those.  I tried to be those people, but circumstance and other people stood in my way.  Or so I thought.

Inside I was timid, I didn't have a right to say what I thought. Who was I to have an opinion on anything??!? 

Popular? No, no! People just tolerated me because, maybe, I had something they wanted to use. My vivid imagination told me they felt sorry for me so they "let" me hang around. 

Daring? Ha! I was too afraid of getting into trouble! 

Strong? Well, I was stubborn...is that similar?  hmmm.....  but stubborn on the inside, around certain people, in certain situations. Strong like I imagined others to be? Not I....... 

Flamboyant?  uh..... no. Too embarassed, someone might not like ME if I was way out there. 

Talented? Well, just too wrapped up in my inadequacies to recognize the talent that has been there all along.

Popular? Oh that old rag again? Done it TO DEATH! "you can't come with us, YOU are too young! (same age as all the rest)  You can't do that because YOU will wreck it. There's no more room for YOU! YOU have germs!

The thoughts of incompetence can dance around in the head, trying to drive out the one thing that I have that is true.... ME!
This week, circumstances have arisen in my life that have brought REALITY crashing into the inner realms of my thoughts.
I have come to realize (once again in my circular journey) that the negative voices, that scream out and attempt to drown me in black inky thoughts, are NOT what TRUTH is.
TRUTH is what is given by those that love me.
The truth is ...I have to learn how to trust those I love to tell me the TRUTH. I have to dispel those ink-stained thoughts with TRUTH.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8  New International Version (NIV)

What then, shall I say? 

Who am I?
I am a woman. I am a daughter (and a daughter-in-law). I am a sister. I am a wife. I am a mother (and a mother-in-law) I am an aunt. I am a grandmother. I am a friend. I am a hard worker. I am loyal. I am trustworthy. I am kind. I am considerate. I am funny. I am talented. I am a believer in the Living God.  I am hopeful. I am a seeker of truth. I am an adventurer. I am a traveller. I AM LOVED!

My self does not lie beneath the blackness. My SELF lies within the TRUTH, and the TRUTH will make me free!

And that is quite enough of my musing for tonight. I shall vanish until next time..

`All right,' said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.