Far too many times has someone expressed the belief that “Truth is a matter of perspective.” I can understand saying our perspective plays a vitally crucial role in our decision making process. The problem though is if “Truth” truly is a matter of perspective, then it simply couldn’t be labeled as True.
“Truth” is defined as:
- That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
The trouble I find today is so many people include the words “want” or “feel” where they should be relying on fact or reality.
When you add the concept of faith and God to this equation it can become a conversational melee.
People today tend to believe they must rely only on their senses or their own understanding of events to then decide things like morality, legality, ethics, or even economics. In fact, the list is far more numerous to list in a single post.
However “Truth” itself simply must be something completely independent from all perspective based values for it to be accurate.
What I mean by that?
Well I spent a few years in the military, and while I was serving I was fortunate enough to learn orienteering and land navigation from some of the very finest instructors in the field. In order to navigate around they introduced us to some tools of the trade, as well as how to reference each of them to our surroundings.
For example, we were given a map. The map was our way of understanding our surroundings in greater detail so we could plan our travel.
They gave us a compass, this tool always pointed to a known direction from which we could then determine a proper heading.
However we were also introduced to an outside reference point upon which we could rely, that never needed a tool. It was the North Star, also known as “Polaris.” The North Star is a constant we can use to always gauge our progress.
Each of these tools was given a name, and they were labeled “The Three Norths.”
- Grid North (map)
- Magnetic North (compass)
- “True” North (Polaris)
Grid North is the North as it is drawn on the map. This was done because of the many variables which can effect how we navigate on a map in relation to how we perceive it somewhere on the earth.
Magnetic North is the North your compass would point to in relation to where on the earth you are standing. Strangely, the magnetic north would vary from location to location, so you must continually check on where your compass is pointing.
“True” North is the North Star.
The great thing about true North is it remains truly constant. See it is removed from the influence of the earth or our tools to measure it. Meaning it can never be changed or altered. Hence the reason it was given the title “True.”
The downside to True North is you can only see it at night.
It can be like that sometimes though as we move our way through life. There are times we can’t see the truth while we are navigating the turmoils of the world around us. The power of Faith is in knowing the True Star has never moved. The consistency and reliability that it will remain steadfast in its position is what allows us to rely on it.
Very often today people will say things like, “I can’t see it right now, so I don’t believe in it.” Another might be, “my compass is pointing me a little different or my map doesn’t seem to line up directly so shouldn’t I use those tools?”
See the key to being accurate in navigating is to learn what the variances between these North’s are so you can line them up correctly and reach your intended destination. If you just rely on the map north, then you’ll never know which way to hold or orient the map for an accurate visual of your journey.
If you rely only on the compass, then it’s hard to know when the needle is being shifted by the world around you. And there’s no way to know if the compass itself may be broken.
“True” North however is reliable because it simple cannot be altered by anyone or anything.
Far to often today people want to point to the spot in the sky they “feel” the North Star should be, but if even one of those people were allowed to alter the star’s position it would skew the “Truth” of the Star for everyone else. Many people get upset or angry that the Star refuses to budge, but if they only knew how much good is truly accomplished from the reliability and consistency of the Star.
So an analogy could be:
- Grid North = what people say the world is
- Magnetic North = how you feel things should be where you are
- True North = the world as God made it to be
It can certainly be frustrating for anyone who might not like where the “Truth” is when we want it to be somewhere else. However, as we look back over the grand scheme of things, Thank God the truth has always been right where it said it would be. Even when we can’t see it, we can know it’s there, and that it always will be. This then gives us the confidence to trust the truth.
Likewise we should never fear pointing to the truth even when others don’t want it to be there. Because the truth is unwavering and unable to be influenced by the world we can stand in its light with bold confidence and point to it with clear conviction. Where it said it would be, is right where you’ll find it every single time.
