“You Can’t Handle the Truth!” Or, Can You?

Oh, my dear goodness!  Have I had (and aren’t I having) a week! By this Saturday morning, I will have had the opportunity to share Savannah’s race and our spiritual journey with 4 different groups! People ask me how I am able to do it (speak about Savannah).  I tell them that they are not (well, no one is) able to see and feel what I do when I speak to these groups because they simply are not facing them and looking into their eyes.  I look out over onto a sea of compassionate, loving souls.  I am able to feel the love from them that, in turn, helps soothe my soul.  I tell people that I thought I was to go and speak in order to thank everyone for their prayers, compassion, acts of love, support, … whatever.  Well, that IS true.  However, I go a step further and share that God loves me so much that he knew that looking into the eyes of His compassionate ones would be salve for my wounded heart.  And, man … is it ever! So … very … tender.  In those moments, I realize that Savannah and her legacy of love, positivity, and grace is not forgotten.

You know, we really don’t know how to “do” life.  How do you live while living with so much void or loss? How do we live a life that matters? How do we love, even when we don’t want to? How do we become the hands, feet, heart, soul, mind, and mouth of Jesus on Earth?  Those that do, how do they do it?  Why do they do it?

Deep questions, huh? Tim and I were flipping channels the other night and the movie “A Few Good Men” was on.  We stopped there for a minute because we thought we were about to hear a classic line.  Jack Nicholson’s character was on the witness stand and Tom Cruise’s character was grilling him, provoking him. And the, yep, we heard it … that line … Jack Nicholson’s character became intensely “intense”.  He passionately says, almost growling, “You CAN’T handle the TRUTH!!!”

Hmmmmm … Can we “handle” the truth? Or, can we? Now, THAT’S a question worth gnawing on a while, isn’t it? Can we HANDLE the truth?

Can we handle the truth that we WILL experience trauma, crisis, and turmoil while on Earth? 

James 1:2-4 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

This scripture does not say “if” you face “a” trial … it actually says, with no uncertainty, you WILL face trials (that’s plural).  Can you handle that? Or, do you think if you do enough “right” stuff, you won’t face trials? Are you stifled in worry that a trial may come?  Scripture notes there is a purpose and benefit to our trials.  We develop perseverance.  We are able to meet the challenge and THRIVE, in other words.  Scripture notes that through trials, we become “mature”.  We get “more better”, a slang I like to say from time to time.  Who doesn’t want to be “more better”?  My family has certainly faced a monumental trial.  I dare say, I can’t say we consider it “joy” yet, but certainly understand how this can create perseverance.  We are able to keep on, keeping on in FAITH.

Can we handle the truth that we are to LOVE … NO MATTER WHAT?

Ephesians 4:2 explains how we approach one another by noting “…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love”.  Then, 1 Peter 1:22  expresses, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart”.  Also, we read in 1 John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God”.  Check out Luke 6:35, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked”.

Us, being LOVE is important. I will go as far as saying us expressing and being love to others is monumental.  This is how others will know Christ, by our expression of Christ.  Would Christ hurt or encourage another to hurt someon just for expressing an opposing opinion?  No. Would Christ allow another human being to hurt without doing something to help? No. Would Christ allow somebody to feel like no one cares? No.  He expects us and is glorified when we are “love” to others … ESPECIALLY the “unlovely”.  Love … LOVE … your enemies.

Savannah was a lover of people.  In fact, I was reminded of that 6 weeks after Savannah moved into eternity.  An obedient follower of Christ shared with me a direct word from God about Savannah.  So soothing and reassuring.  I will treasure that moment forever!  He told me that “the Father knew that Savannah was a ‘lover of people’ and she ‘loved to take care of people’.”  I totally agree.  Savannah reached out and loved and helped and assisted everyone she saw and met.  Savannah wholeheartedly loved all of her short 21 years here on Earth.  What an example!

Can we handle the truth that the only thing that is to come out of our mouths is to lift others up, encourage, and be wholesome?

Ephesians 4:29-31 expresses, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice”.

What comes out of your mouth?  The Bible further notes that our mouths reveal what is in our hearts.  Savannah was an unyielding encourager.  She just didn’t have it in her make-up to put someone down or discourage someone in their pursuits.  She wasn’t scared to take chances where growth was concerned and would never discourage someone wanting to grow.  Man, just imagine what the world would be like if we lived in a world exploding with encouragement!  Think about being surrounded with only positive words and attitudes free of anger, agitation, and drama (the unproductive kind).  We can make strides toward this ideal environment, IF we, ourselves, cultivate that transition from negative to positivity in our own thoughts, words, and actions.  It just takes a simple act toward and consistent choice toward positivity to start the path toward the Revolution of Positivity! Why not retrain your thinking, so your heart with change, thus, transforming the words leaving your mouth????

Can we handle the truth that we are not to judge others? That is not OUR job.

We read in Romans 2:1, “You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things”.

I must say that sends chills down my spine.   Judgment.  How easy it is to judge one another.  What is the benefit of us judging another brother or sister?  Who does that help?  Does our judgement help the one we are judging to change, gain insight, or come closer to Christ?  No, no question about it.  Our judgment interferes with the work He wants to do in us or someone else.  Our judgement seems to give the judger an upper-hand. No one on Earth has the upper-hand.  We are all His children, dearly loved.

I recently read this quote by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso:

“A reason why we do not regard others as precious is that we pay attention to their faults while ignoring their good qualities.  Unfortunately we have become very skilled in recognizing the faults of others, and we devote a great deal of mental energy to listing them, analyzing them and even meditating on them! With this critical attitude … we repeatedly think of many reasons why we are right and they are wrong.”

What good is that in an eternal perspective?  None. Judgment solves no problems and promotes no positive change.

Can we handle the truth that we are to be peacemakers, not haters?

Matthew 5:9  says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Romans 12:18 expresses to us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all”. Matthew 7:12 continues, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets”.

Those that knew Savannah knew she was a peacemaker.  She was not “at peace” if she knew someone was not at peace.  She continually would mediate a disagreement between friends, coworkers, well, anyone at odds.  Peacemakers, many times, take on and “feel” other’s pain or discord.  It isn’t being a peacemaker.  However, scripture is clear that peacemakers are blessed.  Do we not all thrive in peaceful environments? Why do we allow ourselves to be in un-peaceful surroundings? I don’t know that answer; however, I know that the Truth says, we are ALL to be peacemakers.

In reviewing these truths, I’ll tell you one truth … Savannah, my firstborn, could handle and did handle the Truth.  Without a doubt, she figured this out in her short 21 years on this planet.  She not only “handled” the truth, she LIVED it.  Of course, she was human and had “human” moments.  But I am assured, she “got it”.  This is confirmed by the multitudes of people who have reached out to us to share what Savannah meant to them.  Others remark about observations they witnessed of Savannah’s grace time and time again.  There is time for us all.  That is the beauty for all of us left here on Earth.  We are given this moment.  This moment, we can make a decision to start “handling” the truth.

I will be speaking to ladies at the First Baptist Church in Simsboro, LA in the morning, May 6, 2017.  Tuesday, I will have the privilege of speaking at an athletic banquet at a school that means so much to us.  Then, on Mother’s Day, I will speaking on the campus at the University of Louisiana at Monroe during the 1:00 pm mass.  So fitting that I will be on Savannah’s holy ground! Amazing!

Begin “handling the TRUTH” and THRIVE!

Stephanie