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Close Can Be Confusing

I recently looked at an alarm clock and realized that it was displaying the incorrect time by about five hours. I quickly discounted the time it was displaying because it was so far from being correct. It struck me that if the alarm clock was off by less time that I might have been fooled into believing it was the correct time, which might have caused me to be late or early to an appointment. Instead, the fact that it was so wrong made it obvious and I relied on another clock rather than that one.

In our lives the most dangerous lies are the ones that are partial truth or very close to the truth. It is hard to distinguish which elements of the lie are truth and which elements are a like.  These lies come from within us in our thought processes, and from outside of us as others try to persuade us.  Either way the evil one is trying to get us off track from what is healthy and right for us and for those God has given us.

Here are some of the close lies that confuse us - "you do not look OK", "no one cares about you", "you cannot accomplish that task", and "God is trying to hurt you." Each of these lies, at the right time, in the wrong situation have an element of truth which is confusing. Yes, each of us has physical features which someone might judge as not attractive, but that does not mean that we should condemn ourselves and sink into self-loathing. Yes, there are people who do not care about us and perhaps even to do not like us, but there are also people who love us. Yes, a task or goal might be impossible to accomplish quickly or perfectly but if we pray about it, persist and allow others to help us, we can accomplish great things for God. Yes, there are times in our lives when it feels like God has left us or has allowed bad things to happen to us, but he is not trying to hurt us.  Sometimes the hardship we are experiencing is just a result of being a human who lives in a fallen world.  Sometimes God is allowing the hardship to teach us something.  Hebrews 12:7 says, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?" Far from trying to hurt us, God is trying to help us grow, that is what parental discipline should be all about - defining healthy boundaries and directions for our lives.

So the next time you hear a lie that has some element of truth, talk to God about it before it sinks in and becomes part of your everyday thought processes.  Ask your Heavenly Father to identify right thoughts and attitudes which are building you and others up (Ephesians 4:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:11). The Apostle Paul gave a right-thinking list in Philippians 4:8 against which we can compare our thoughts "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."

Notice that "whatever is true" is at the beginning of the list.  It is there because if we are allowing ourselves to believe partial truths it will get us off course in our thought life.
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