I sit on the soft carpet with my adult daughter. Comfy pillows behind our backs and steaming cups of watermelon mint tea in our hands. A comfortable silence rests between us.
And then out of that silence come the words which have been tugging at her heart for days… weeks.
“Mom, I’m tired of believing the lies. I’m tired of making decisions to please other people. I’m done living that way.”
Her words hang in the air–
Bold and courageous.
But born from the exhaustion, heartbreak, and sorrow of a multitude of adversities which have fallen like rain for longer than she can remember. And for a moment, I feel they are my own.
Though mine sound different.
I’m tired of believing the lies. I’m tired of making decisions which manage my fear. I’m done living that way.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12, ESV.
Girls, before we become truth tellers we must be truth see-ers.
What does it mean to be a truth see-er?
When I asked God this question, he put a single word on my heart.
Endure.
Merriam Webster states that to endure is to “remain firm… without yielding.”
So it seems that truth-seeing requires a choice. A choice we stand firm in no matter what. A choosing to believe.
But to believe what?
To believe what God says–
About us.
About himself.
About his promises.
Is it easy? I wish I could say, yes. But it isn’t. It’s really, really hard. A
will-I-even-be-able-to-do-this kind of hard. Emotions and circumstances will threaten to overwhelm and derail us into believing we can no longer believe. Because to believe simply doesn’t make any sense in this dark world we live in every single day.
But the good news is that we can do this– not because of who we are or where we are, but because of his Spirit living inside of us helping us and making the impossible possible.
Light, as our key verse states, remains even when darkness overwhelms us. Because darkness cannot shut out the light.
In the same way, truth remains even when lies overwhelm us and feel more true. Because lies cannot shut out the truth.
It simply is.
Let’s draw from my daughter’s heartfelt words and proclaim them together–
I’m tired of believing the lies. I’m tired of making decisions _________. I’m done living that way.
Girls, he is trustworthy. He already knows the depths of our pain. The source of our tears. He knows more about us than even we do. After all, he made us.
I place my hand gratefully over my daughter’s, and I tell her how proud I am of her. I realize that her bravery opens up a hollow place in my own heart which needs to be filled. Filled with something new.
Filled with something true.
