What is the truth?

I was going through Facebook the other day, and someone had posted such and such. I wondered if it was truth or fiction so I searched it. I usually use DuckDuckGo because they don't track you, but this time I used Google. There were articles on Google that were both ways. Some said it was the truth and some said it was fiction. I still didn't know the truth. So I chalked it up as fiction because I didn't agree with what the post said. That was simple.

But many times we all do this very same thing. We hear something and, if we disagree with it, it's fiction or a fabrication of the truth. Many are thinking I'm talking about politics, and I might be, but then I might not be. I've heard people say that no-bake cookies won't make you fat. Or certain brownies have had all the calories taken out of them. Marge makes a kind of peanut cookie that doesn't need baking. It is real chocolaty and full of peanuts. I know for a fact they have sugar in them. I ate a couple before bed a week or so ago, and my sugar level the next morning was 137, when it's normally 90 to 110. I don't care what anyone says, they are full of sugar.

Growing up, Mom would admonish us to tell the truth. Now it's darn hard to tell the truth when, if you do tell the truth, one is going to get tanned. But then on the other hand, if we lie, Mom will still give us a tanning. Darned if we do and darned if we don't. But then, if we tell the truth maybe she won't be as mad as she will be when she finds out we lied. Mom and Dad flat out hated a liar.

As a pastor I've been put in situations where I simply couldn't tell the truth. And if I would have said I can't tell, they'd have assumed it was true anyway. Many times I simply played dumb and said, "I don't know!" which might have been a lie, or maybe one of those white lies. Did you know there are white lies and black lies, and there is a difference? Sure is. Many times I've heard adults say they told a white lie. Now I don't know about you, but a lie is a lie plain and simple. But then there is kind of a floating scale when it comes to the truth. If it's a little lie, it's not as bad as if it's a big one.

When we were little, we were told if we eat our carrots or spinach or broccoli or green beans, we would grow up big like Dad or Uncle Raymond. Kind of the truth, but not really. We were told to wear our caps and coats or we'd catch cold. Not really. A friend of ours says we catch a cold from someone infecting us with a cold germ or bug and not from the cold. Talking about carrots, we were told if we eat our carrots we'll have better vision. Now that's true. But it's going to take a lot of carrots.

We've been told that coffee isn't good for us, and then a year or two later we hear where we'll live longer if we drink coffee. Years ago my grandparents and parents ate eggs every morning for breakfast. And along came the experts and said eggs would kill us. Grandma lived to be in her 90s and Marge's mom is 95 or so, and I'll bet most mornings they had eggs and pork. Now the experts have backed off their former claims and say to eat them in moderation. So now when Marge asks me how many eggs I want for breakfast, I tell her just two or three. Last time I went for a blood test my cholesterol was in the 90s. I might die tomorrow, but my cholesterol will be good.

Back in the mid-1900s is a time I'm familiar with. Back then one's word was more important than silver or gold. One might be poor and homeless, but if your word was good you was a rich person. One's word depended on one telling the truth and meaning what you said and doing what you said you would. Telling the truth was important. Same today. It's important. Many don't realize how important simply telling the truth is. For the life of me I don't understand how some people can stand in front of a mirror and look at themselves. The older I get the more trouble I have sleeping, but if I lied like some do I probably would sleep even less.

Kids know when another kid is lying. They also know when an adult is lying. An old saying says, "Liar liar pants on fire." Seemed like kids would tell each other this. I can't remember if we were lying or not, but we'd be chided with those words. Through my life I've found that if I lied invariably sooner or later the truth would come out, and I'd have to face the truth as well as be guilty of lying.

I guess what I'm concerned about is that as a general rule it seems like many, and I'm tempted to even say most that are up front and in the public's view, lie on a routine basis. It's like they don't see anything wrong with just outright lying. But what is even more amazing to me is many, and I'm tempted to say a lot, actually believe their lies. Kind of like walking into a quick stop and buying a handful of lottery tickets. We realize the odds are slim to none we are going to win anything. Chances of winning are close to nonexistent. But we still spend our money on the hopes we might.

I love a good tomato. Don't like the cardboard kind that makes one wonder if they are actually a tomato or just a red ball masquerading as a tomato. We've all seen the ads that say they are vine ripened, and they might be. The caption should read: "Vine ripened and as good as possible until summer." That is 100% the truth.

One disclaimer. There are times when we need to swallow the truth and keep our mouths shut. Some truths need to go to our graves with us. Sometimes the truth will cause more harm than good and simply doesn't even need to come out. A wise person will know when to spill the beans and when to suck it up and stay quiet.

Be truthful. It starts with each one of us. An old Bible story talks about making sure we pull the plank from our own eye before we help get a splinter out of your eye. Being truthful in my book is a virtue worth pursuing.