J.E. Solinski
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • My Favs!

The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . .

11/2/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
Finally, we have less than a week to go until the presidential election. Like most of you, I am ready for the whole thing to be over.

At the core of almost every disagreement between the two candidates was the issue of truth and honesty—whether regarding taxes or emails or any of the many other topics the two were at odds about. Both candidates felt that they had told the truth if they had provided just a portion of the relevant information. I am beginning to think they have been encouraged in this thinking by the media, as one of the editors of the New York Times just admitted that they have always been very forgiving of “fibs and exaggerations” as those were just a part of politics and only recently, and for the first time ever, called one of the candidates an actual “liar.”

I would like to be able to cast all my aspersions on political candidates, but unfortunately, I have found that these “partial” or “half truths” have cropped up in my own life as well. I have been on both the receiving and giving end of half truths, and I have heard and used all kinds of justifications for telling them. Regardless, the result is the same – the whole truth DOES eventually come out, and the result is that trust is undermined and relationships are damaged.

This is sad, because, in reality, when we don’t tell the whole truth, we are lying to ourselves the most. If we are holding back information about a certain situation or tweaking it just a bit to serve our own purposes, then we are not being honest with ourselves about what is going on in the bigger picture. As a result, many are hurt.

As futile as this is in our personal relationships, many of us do this in our relationship with God as well and how ridiculous is that?—Thinking or believing that we can hide information or give half truths to the omniscient God?

Fortunately, though it might be uncomfortable at times, God deals in absolute truths. What He promises He does. What He says is sin, is. What He says will bring peace, does.

Priscilla Shirer in her bible study “The Whole Armor of God” reminds us that the first piece of armor that a Roman soldier put on was “the belt,” an article of clothing that provided both physical support and a place to “tuck in his tunic,” so that he could move with freedom. For us who are told to put on the spiritual “belt of truth,” God’s truth provides that same support in difficult situations and freedom when we tuck in those situations that need to be wrapped in the light of God’s Word.

We may not be able to convince the two major presidential candidates that “honesty is the best policy” before next Tuesday, but each of us can begin this week to be honest with God and with others and with ourselves and pass all of our situations through the light of God’s truth so that we can live freely.

(Shirer, Priscilla. The Armor of God. Nashville, TN: Lifeway Press: 2015. Print.)


2 Comments
Penelope Ray
11/2/2016 07:44:30 am

Hi Jody,

Reading your post, I first thought, yes, we all are guilty of the "half-truth," and when we put it out there, like the politicians, we are attempting to manipulate in our own favor. Guilty.

As I read through, I arrived at Jesus: nothing to lose; nothing to prove; nothing to hide. So glad we can bend our knee and bow our head at the foot of the cross.

Reply
Jody
11/2/2016 07:56:05 am

Thank you, Penelope, for that reminder. It is a relief to know we can approach our savior so openly, isn't it?

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Jody Eileen Solinski spent her career teaching in the California public school system where she enjoyed helping young adults take their place in society. A native Californian, she enjoys the outdoors and so loves living in Northern California where she can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation up close.

    Picture
    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All
    Anger
    Appreciation
    Art
    Attitude
    Balance
    Beauty
    Belief
    Books
    Bravery
    Bullies
    Calm
    Change
    Christian Bloggers
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Cleansing
    Conflict
    Consistency
    Coronavirus
    Costs
    Demands
    Disappointment
    Discontent
    Easter
    End Times
    Evil
    Faith
    Fatigue
    Fear
    Fires
    Focus
    Foolishness
    Forgiveness
    Frustration
    God's Protection
    God's Sovereignty
    God's Timing
    Good Intentions
    Grace
    Grief
    Healing
    Hell
    Holy Spirit
    Hopes
    Hymns
    Hypocrisy
    Ingenuity
    Isolation
    Jesus
    Legacies
    Listening
    Love
    Memories
    Money
    Mornings
    Mothers
    Music
    New Years
    Opportunities
    Order
    Pain
    Patience
    Peace
    Perfection
    Perseverance
    Perspective
    Prayer
    Pressure
    Promises
    Purpose
    Readiness
    Reading
    Reduction
    Refreshed
    Relationship
    Relevance
    Relief
    Remembering
    Renewed
    Reset
    Rest
    Sacrifice
    Salvation
    Science
    Seeing
    Self-Centeredness
    Service
    Sin
    Sleep
    Spiritual Diet
    Spiritual Life
    Storms
    Strength
    Suffering
    Summer
    Talents
    Temptation
    Thanksgiving
    The Bible
    The Tongue
    Troubles
    Trust
    Truth
    Unity
    Water
    Weaknesses
    Wise Counsel
    Worry
    Writing
    Youth

J.E. Solinski ©2015