"Truth" | Reflection by Bob Windom

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

As I thought about truth, it came to me that I needed to separate the Sacred Truth of a singular God from the secular truth that we deal with every day. This truth has come under question in our present age. We have become more aware of the imperfection found in the truth. What does our understanding of the secular have to teach us about the sacred.

I look at secular truth through two lenses, one objective and the other subjective. Objective truth is based on facts either observed or learned. Subjective truth relies upon our beliefs. We use these two lenses to bring into focus our view of what is true. New facts or a change in our belief illuminate what we understand as secular truth. Our experiences allow us to reach a deeper understanding of the truth.

One approaches sacred truth as a constant: sanctified in the truth. Just as our experiences illuminate and allow us to deepen our understanding of secular truths, it also reveals to us a deeper understanding of the constant sacred truth. God does not change but our understanding of God does and thus our faith grows stronger.

During this period of Lent, we should work to gain a new and deeper understanding of the sacred truth. One truth that I reflect upon is that we are all made in the image of God. I believe that this truth is captured in a photograph of Willa, my granddaughter, peering into her image reflected in a windowpane.

Photo Credit: Cornell Watson @cornwhizzle

Words in the Wilderness - Walk through the season of Lent with Trinity, one word at a time. Every day (except on Sundays) we will post a photo and a brief refection written by someone in our Trinity community. https://www.trinitynewhaven.org/words-in-the-wilderness