As a boy I had a friend named Tim. In those days kids played outdoors unless the weather did not permit it. We lived in the country so we had acres and acres to explore. One day at school Tim told us that during one of his explorations he had found a diamond. He said it was on a rock ledge out of his reach. We could not contain the excitement we were feeling so as soon as possible we followed Tim to the location where he had seen this diamond.

When we arrived at the location we started to doubt Tim’s story. We had thought that it would sparkle like all of the wedding rings we had seen but it just looked like a grease spot on the rock ledge above us. Then Tim convinced us that this was what a diamond in the rough looked like and our excitement returned.

Now we had to figure a way to get up to that ledge and retrieve the diamond. We made several trips and attempted many times to get up to the ledge but we could not. Our excitement remained however, because the thought of finding a diamond kept the fire of determination burning bright in us.

Then one day Tim came to school and informed us that he had successfully climbed up to the ledge and found the diamond to be just a dark spot on the rock. At first we drilled him with questions because we did not want what he found to be true. We had caught a vision of wealth that was going to be handed to us. We even entertained the thought that Tim might have taken the diamond for himself. It took some time before we could accept the fact that what we thought to be a diamond was just a dark spot on a rock.

As I think back on that incident, I remember Tim’s dad telling us that there was no diamond in the rough on that ledge. We wouldn’t believe him because we desperately wanted it to be true. I learned from that experience that just because we believe something to be true, doesn’t make it so; and there can be great disappointment when we are forced to face the truth.

We need a source of truth that we can depend on. Many times we find the truth when it is too late. We act on something that we have been told is the truth and then have to suffer the consequences for our actions. Is there a place we can find the truth? Is there a power greater than us that will guide us into all truth?

These are the issues of life that we deal with at the Gathering Place every Sunday morning at 10:30 and Wednesday evening at 7.

Pastor

John Pfeifer