We’ve all heard it said before: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Right?

I see things as beautiful, while others may not. Likewise, I am sometimes totally unimpressed by what others see as beautiful. We aren’t alike and that’s okay!

Today, another adage is much more fitting: Truth is in the mind of the thinker.

Truth is in the mind of the thinker

It’s especially evident on social media where anonymity allows us to disagree – vehemently, at times – with those we don’t even know.

People are more apt to argue online than if the same topic is discussed among friends at a restaurant. Why is that? We give grace in person (though some won’t, ever) but online we spew OUR truth in reaction to someone else’s truth.

Can we not understand what is true to us, isn’t always true to others?

So, how do we fight it?

When we do, even that becomes fodder on social media threads. No one likes online debates but when we choose to get involved, our futile attempt to squelch it often initiates yet another debate.

People get fed up with the chatter and excuse themselves from social media for a time thinking their absence will surely cause argumentative people to refrain from such when they return.

Yeah, right. That won’t happen.

Interestingly, what I call a ‘hashtag mentality’ began in biblical times. Acts 17:21 tells of people who spent all their time doing nothing but discussing the newest ideas. Sound familiar? Grasping for truth, no doubt. And, in 1st Corinthians (1:20) God made the wisdom of the world look foolish. I think He does this quite well today, too.

So, what is truth? Dictionaries are straightforward. It is the quality or state of being true.

OUR Truth vs. THE Truth

While beauty can easily be judged by the person doing the judging, truth is NOT subject to man’s interpretation.

We are all entitled to our own opinion, but let’s be less eager to share OUR own truth as if it is THE truth.

Lord, help me…

. . . never to present my own opinion as truth, AND keep me from confronting those who still do. Amen.