The Truth Shall Set You Free

What is truth?

Me and my brothers, I’m around 7 years old here.

One of my favorite childhood memories is going to stay with my Grandma, with my family, on our summer vacation in Streator, Illinois. My Grandma was a very special Godly woman, and I loved her very much. Streator is a small town, surrounded by corn fields, with sidewalks and a grid system. Everything is flat, which makes it easy to get around by foot or bicycle. I always felt safe in Streator. Safe to play outside and roam around, even in the alley, where the garbage barrels were kept for burning garbage.

From as young an age as I can remember, my Grandma would give me and my brothers a little money, around $.75, so that we could walk to the store at the end of her street and buy candy. After she gave us money, she would send us on our way, unsupervised, to walk about ten blocks to the store. (My older brother was probably 11 years old at the time, so technically we were supervised). I remember the excitement as we all walked, skipped or ran to the store. We felt freedom, which was filled with joy, laughter, excitement, and contentment.

After entering through the swinging door, bells rang above my head. Now the fun of looking through the candy aisle with all the different boxes of candy that lined the shelves. This was also a time of determining what my money could pay for. I'm sure this practice of managing my money helped me become good at math. I had mastered how to stretch out almost every penny with buying 3 or 4 small individually wrapped pieces of candy, in addition to my candy necklace, ring pop, and other favorites. I remember my youngest brother and I contemplating the different candies and strategizing our purchases. I remember the store clerk always being helpful during the checkout process. However, we were only allowed to take the candy that we could pay for with our money that we had entered the store. with. This entire event taught us so many valuable lessons in life.

The fact that me and my brothers were allowed to take money into a store with no adults gave us all self- confidence. We had to restrain our desires and stay within the parameters of our money constrains. We learned to appreciate what we could buy, and we didn't expect to be given anything without paying for it. I remember mostly the walks to the store with the excitement, hope, and joy of what candy I would get. I do somewhat remember walking with a brown bag all the way back to my Grandma's house. We would all sit on the living room floor and pour out our candy. Then we would pick which one we would enjoy first. We never ate too much at once. We learned to make our treasure last several days, delaying gratification, and keeping us from getting a tummy ache. Delayed gratification was something my parent's were good at teaching all three of us.

To this day, I believe we always paid for all the candy we brought home. As I was typing this, I somewhat recall contemplating taking a piece of candy that I couldn't pay for. I believe I fought the temptation, because I know that I would still have a pit form in my stomach from the dishonesty of that act. If my brother's every took a piece, they never told me. Dishonesty has a way of convicting the innocence of children in a way that you never forget. The truth has a way of preserving our minds, souls, and bodies.

The definition of truth as recorded in the Oxford Languages: the quality or state of being true, that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality, a fact or belief that is accepted as true. "In the Bible, truth is fundamentally linked to God's character, His Word, and His revelation, viewed as absolute, unchanging, and eternal, reflecting His nature. It's also seen as a moral attribute, encompassing honesty, integrity, and faithfulness." "The Bible encourages believers to "walk in truth," meaning to live a life that reflects God's character and values."

Truth impacts everything. Truth is the basis for relationships. There is no relationship when truth is broken. Truth demands order. We are required to follow the established system to keep order in place and peace. Truth requires acceptance. We must accept the way things must be done. Truth encapsulates obedience. Without obedience, the truth will fall away. Once truth is broken, a mountain of lies are birthed.

Truth gifts us order. Truth provides internal peace. In opposition, a lie condemns an individual and eats them up inside leaving them in turmoil. Truth keeps faith alive. Truth allows love to flow freely. Truth keeps us grounded in love, hope and joy.

Truth is not capable of altering. Truth remains reality. Truth grounds us. Truth saves us. Truth is omnipotent. Truth is from above.

"Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6