Truth is a giver of life, is your friend, and helps you grow. There are different types of truth that we need to grow because people have different needs, issues, and struggles. Truth plays several roles in how it is applied to our lives in the following ways:
Clarification: Clarification of the source of issues helps us to understand which ones is our fault, which are the result of someone else’s sin, and which are the result of living in a broken world. If we have a pattern of going along with opinions and wishes of others instead of being truthful, then the struggle is our fault. On the other hand, the issue may be the result of the inability to stand up for the truth in relationships that developed in other significant setting, such as a family of origin (sin from others). Then there are things that happen like the loss of supportive friends due to relocating because of a job loss (sin in the world). Clarification shows us resolutions to particular growth issues.
Comfort: Comfort is the emotional supply we receive from God and others and then pass on to those who need it to bear the pains of life. Comforting words can bring us through many trials and help us grow. Comfort brings relief, consolation, and freedom from pain and anxiety. When someone understands our pain and struggle at a deep level and can communicate that understanding to us, we are comforted.
Correction: People need to be confronted with truth when they stray from God’s path of righteousness. Use caution when using correction; used improperly can seriously wound people. Some people do not possess enough love to handle the truth. For example, a person can easily become discouraged from his or her faith in God when they are corrected without kindness. This is truth without grace. The goal of correction is restore and build up someone up, and not tear them down. Loving correction is always having the other person’s best interest.
Guidance: Sometimes the truth gives us a direction to take in our growth and life. We often stumble through life, not knowing how to operate in relationships, in work, in faith, or even how to guard our hearts. Some guiding truths are general principles that apply universally to all, such as the law of empathy for others (Luke 6:31) or the principle of seeking God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). Many complicated life issues can be unraveled when we look to see how these principles apply. In other cases, God provides individual and specific guidance, such as the leading of the Holy Spirit, a passage from the Bible that applies to our situation, or the advice of a trusted friend. Guiding truths are very helpful when we faced with uncertainty and difficult decisions.
Illumination: We need insight and wisdom for our inner lives. God brings all sorts of truth to help us see how to best handle life. A dark part of our lives may need to be exposed and matured. Or we may be ignorant of an issue that needs to be looked at. At times, illumination is simply part of the learning process, such as found in a good Bible study. At other times, it is what is called an emotionally corrective experience, when a person has a flash of insight on what is driving a problem.
Are you open to the process of dealing with painful truths about yourself and to receive insights and perspectives from other safe people?
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