No Trust Without Truth
My husband reclined on our bed with his hands behind his head. Feeling somewhat confident I stepped out of our closet and turned once so my periwinkle dress would flaunt its delicate fabric. Careful not to imply my own bias with a hopeful smile, I asked the four words every man hates: “how do I look”?
To preserve his honor in the “hen-house” I won’t tell you what he said. I’ll just tell you - I was disappointed. But...as I returned to my closet, praying for a wardrobe miracle, I found my heart was not broken by my husband’s response, rather it was oddly encouraged. His response reminded me of something I value more than his approval:
To know my husband won’t lie.
Truth is the foundation of trust. Whether a campaign promise, an olive branch from a bruised friendship, the nutrition label on the cookie package or the window on a pregnancy test we are daily looking for who to trust; and the only litmus for trust, is truth. Once we have been lied to the reality of human nature is revealed and we are reminded that we are alone with our secrets and sequestered in our pain.
….for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began… Titus 1:1-2
There is one who never lies. And He says I am worth dying for. He says I am free from condemnation. He says, when I choose Christ, I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20) - that I am judged according to His grace, not by my failures (Ephesians 2:9). He says if I abide in His word I don’t have to wonder what is true...I will know the Truth and it will set me free (John 8:31-32).
For more info on who God says I am, read How to Tell Yourself the Truth by Sheryl Giesbrecht.