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Whatever side of the he-said-she-said divide you’re on, or whichever side ultimately prevailed, the last few weeks of US political theater prove one thing: what we believe most often depends on who we believe.
Once we’ve decided to trust someone, we are likely to believe that whatever they tell us is true.
Even if it isn’t.
In human society credibility is power, and that power can be used for good or ill.
Exhibit A: Hitler. The German people didn’t embrace Nazi genocide overnight; they were led to it by a man they trusted.
The problem is that he was a man they should not have trusted. But that was revealed only after several years and millions of dead bodies.
Truth does not always carry the day.
Sometimes, we find it easy to believe a lie because the person telling it makes it easy.
We believe them, maybe because they are like us in some way, maybe because they inspire us to greatness or give us hope, maybe because they say what we want to hear, or what we ourselves are afraid to say.
They are credible witnesses who deliver convincing testimony.
So here’s my question: what would it take for us to believe the truth of what God has revealed in Christ Jesus?
And more, what would make us credible and convincing witnesses to that truth?
For me to believe what someone says about God, I have to trust the person who is saying it.
Yes, it needs to make rational sense.
Yes, it needs to be beautiful.
But more than anything else, the person saying it must come across as utterly convinced, completely sold-out, to what he or she is saying.
A witness is compelling only when he is certain.
As the writer of Hebrews put it, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
Still, faith can be seen. It is visible in how believers live; in what they do and don’t. Lives speak far more eloquently than lips.
It’s time we start to consider the possibility that the world doesn’t believe our message because it doesn’t believe us. Continue reading
- Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is a Catholic, wife, and mother of eight. Inspired by the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, she is an author, speaker, and musician, and serves as a senior editor at Ave Maria Press. Find Jaymie on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @YouFeedThem.
- Image: National Review
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