Do the Truth

We clearly have no shortage of knowledge. Americans are simply jammed full of information. We've been to school and Sunday school, we read books and magazines and newspapers, we watch the news, the Discovery Chanel, ESPN, you name it. Oh, we know a lot. However, much of what we know is peripheral information, the kind of things that help us sound interesting at parties allow us to explain to our children why the sky is blue or how electricity works. Nothing wrong with those things, but too much of what we know matters too little. All the learning in the world doesn't necessary make someone a better person unless they discover nuggets of truth which actually have an impact on their character and, therefore, upon their actions. Even the loftiest moral and doctrinal truths matter but little unless they are put into practice. It is the living out of knowledge, the application of wisdom, that changes a person ... and the world around him. The process always begins with knowing the truth, reading and understanding the subtle details of life and how they fit together. While I firmly believe that the physical and spiritual worlds are based upon certain absolute truths, from a practical standpoint I would propose that truth doesn't actually exist until it is lived. Lofty words and eloquent speeches amount to nothing more than so much hot air unless they are fleshed out with lofty and eloquent actions. It takes only a brain to speak the truth, but to do the truth requires a heart as well. That is the juncture where faith and courage come together with truth to change a person's life and cause him or her to make a difference in the world. By all means, let us hunger and thirst for knowledge, for it is the beginning of understanding. Ah, but once we hold the cords truth within our hands, may we have the courage live that truth out in our daily lives. Onward.

Do The Truth
Without a doubt, we know the truth
For truth is everywhere
And those who read the word of God
Have found more truth than they can bear
Yet, no matter how we fill our heads
With all that can be learned
Truth must be tested in the fires of life
And lived, once it's discerned
For anyone may know the truth
If he can read or hear
But he must learn to live it
From day to day, from year to year
Until then, the truth remains
Purely academic, don't you see
For only once we do the truth
Is it real to you and me
Our actions will betray our hearts
Each time a test is made
When truth professed, defers at last
To that which is displayed
Any man who seeks may find the truth
But once said truth is known
Only he who learns to do the truth
Can claim it as his own
By Frank Carpenter ©