Truth always matters by Jayna Richardson |
| As a toddler playing on the beach in Virginia, I stumbled across a jellyfish that had been carried in with the tide and left to dry in the hot sand. I was intrigued by the almost clear, gelatinous being. I reached down to touch it—only to have my father grab my arm and warn me of the consequences of a jellyfish sting. I didn’t know what a jellyfish was or how it could hurt me. Nevertheless, my ignorance would not have protected me from the consequences of touching the jellyfish. A well-known Buddhist once said it did not matter if God existed or not because we wouldn’t be able to comprehend him anyway, and therefore He would have no relevance to our lives. Somehow he must have missed the lesson that even the things we don’t see or understand can have a drastic impact on us. Our opinions and beliefs don’t matter as much as what is actually true. God’s existence is an issue of supreme importance to everyone, whether they realize it or not, because the answer to that question affects our purpose and direction in this life, and our hope and expectations for eternity. God’s existence not only matters; it is the only reason our lives have any meaning. Without God, we are nothing more than accidents on a chaotic, out-of-control planet. Without God, there is no right or wrong, and therefore we cannot distinguish between Mother Theresa and Hitler or pronounce judgment on either. Without God, concepts like beauty, truth, and love have no basis for comparison, and thus cannot be fully understood or experienced. Ultimately, without God, our existence is futile. The flip side is that if God does exist, we can have purpose and direction. We can form beliefs and convictions based on solid, unwavering truth. We can have joy and fulfillment in this life and assurance of the life to come. Truth is always relevant, whether it pertains to a jellyfish washed up on the shore or the question of God’s existence. And the truth is that God’s existence not only matters—it is what matters most. |