Getting Ahead: ‘Finding the truth’

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In these election years there are many voices clamoring for our attention. Some proclaim one thing and some another. It is hard to know if the people behind the voices really believe what they are saying. A good example of what I am referring to are the political conventions in which one side says one thing and the other side the opposite. It can be very confusing as to what to believe.

Many people will just believe what they want to believe without ever really knowing the truth. Others will be suspicious of everything that is said and will not believe anything. Some will be influenced by their emotions or popular trends and never make an effort to find the truth. It is said that if we hear the same thing over and over we will eventually start to accept it as truth. It is also said that if we can be made anxious or fearful, we will accept bad advice as truth.

Truth is so important in our decisions that we must make an effort to know it.

When I was growing up in southern Ohio, I would hear people talk about someone that had common sense. Common sense was something that was acquired through observation and experience. We all have had many life experiences that can equip us with common sense. For instance; when I was about 12 years old I was throwing a bale of hay out of the second story of the barn down to the stalls. It was winter and I had on a heavy pair of gloves. The gloves stuck in the binder twine and when I threw the bale down it took me with it. I fell from the second story to the first and landed over a stall. It really hurt. The wind was knocked out of me to the point that I felt as if my lungs had collapsed.

Later, after having x-rays, I was told that I had fractured my back in the fall. This was an experience that taught me a lesson I won’t forget; never jam a heavy pair of gloves under the binder twine. In the same way I learned not to touch a hot wood stove, try to ice skate on thin ice, make a pet of a snake, and many more painful experiences. These experiences, along with the instruction from people that have experienced many other things, result in common sense.

When you are being bombarded with voices and opinions, just use your common sense that you have developed and been taught over the years. The bible, which is the very source of truth, teaches us to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Know your facts and never cause division! Use common sense and know the truth.

We address these and other life issues every Sunday morning at 10:30 and Wednesday evening at 7 at the Gathering Place Church.

John Pfeifer

Pastor

https://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2020/08/pfeifer-mug-B-W-1-1-2.pdf

By John G. Pfeifer

Religion Writer

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