Truth

Ben Harper is a great singer songwriter and "Diamonds on the Inside" is one of his best.

Diamonds on the Inside
(Listen to this song here) 

I knew a girl, her name was Truth
She was a horrible liar
She couldn't spend one day alone
But she couldn't be satisfied 

When you have everything
You have everything to lose
She made herself a bed of nails
And she's planning on putting it to use 

But she had diamonds on the inside
She had diamonds on the inside
She had diamonds on the inside
Diamonds 

A candle throws its light into the darkness
In a nasty world so shines a good deed
Make sure the fortune that you seek
Is the fortune that you need 

So tell me why the first to ask
Is the last to give every time
What you say and do not mean
Follows you close behind 

She had diamonds on the inside
She had diamonds on the inside
She wore diamonds on the inside
Diamonds
Diamonds 

Like the soldier long standing under fire
Any change comes as a relief
Let the giver's name remain unspoken
Well she is just a generous thief 

But she had diamonds on the inside
She had diamonds on the inside
She wore diamonds on the inside
She wore diamonds 

(Diamonds)
Oh diamonds
She had diamonds
(Wore)
She wore diamonds
(Diamonds)
Diamonds 

Ben Harper; © EMI Music Publishing

This song represents a personification of the concept of "Truth." Ben Harper is writing in an ancient tradition of taking an idea like truth and writing of it as if it were a woman. The great king Solomon did something similar in Proverbs 8 where he personified "Wisdom." Harper ascribes many things to truth.

Lies are obvious; truth is a horrible liar.
Truth only exists in relationship with others.
Truth is never satisfied; Truth is never complete.
Truth is everything; when you have it you have everything; when you have truth you have everything to lose.
Truth requires severe discipline.
Truth is beauty on the inside.
Truth is light in a dark world.
Truth is true fortune.
Truth is the first thing for which we ask but find that it is the last thing given.
The untruths we speak follow us closely.
Anything that feels like truth is quickly embraced; for, after all of the darkness, it feels like a glimmer of light.
Truth can be a generous thief: stealing from one and giving to another.

Wisdom and truth are closely linked. Consider the following verses from Proverbs 8:1, 32-36.

Listen as Wisdom calls out!
    Hear as understanding raises her voice! . . .
“And so, my children,  listen to me,
    for all who follow my ways are joyful.
Listen to my instruction and be wise.
    Don’t ignore it.
Joyful are those who listen to me,
    watching for me daily at my gates,
    waiting for me outside my home!
For whoever finds me finds life
    and receives favor from the Lord.
But those who miss me injure themselves.
    All who hate me love death.”

A Good Wife

My wife and I celebrated Valentine's Day with a group of friends last night. We had a chocolate tasting at Xoxolat (pronounced shṓ-shṓ-lặ). Who knew there were 400 notes of flavour in chocolate? Following this we walked down the street to enjoy delicious curries at Atithi Restaurant. During the course of the evening we men were encouraged to propose a toast to our wives. Here, said better than I said last night, is my toast to Maureen.

There are many wonderful things I could say about Maureen. Some of you know her from her job where she is well-paid to pay attention to detail and make the lives of busy executives run smoothly. She is extremely good at what she does. But for many years she did her greatest work as a mother who cared for our three daughters and made our home run efficiently. There are many ways I could honour her but I think that one of the greatest tributes I could bring to her is the fact that our grown daughters love her. To have adult children who continue to love her and look to her for advice is a tremendous blessing. I too also blessed to be in love with this woman after 31 years of marriage. Please raise a glass in toast to Maureen!

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. . . . Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her . . ." Proverbs 31:10, 28.

Becoming Wise

Proverbs 9:10 says, "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment." God is truly the source of wisdom and He speaks to us through His word in the Bible; and, we also know that we can experience knowledge and wisdom as we read other books and apply God's wisdom to the circumstances of life. I particularly appreciate these words by Tim Keller:

When you listen to and read one thinker, you become a clone; two thinkers, you become confused; ten thinkers, you’ll begin developing your own voice; two or three hundred thinkers, you become wise and develop your voice. "Reform and Resurge Conference," 2006.

I pray that we might listen to the words of many and, with appropriate reverence for our God, discern the wisdom to which He calls us.

Correction

Proverbs 6:23 says, "For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life . . . ."

Yet, at the time, correction never seems like the way to life; it seems like the way to discouragement. Harold Bullock has this to say about how we might handle those who come to us with correction.

When someone offers you a correction, you feel a need to defend yourself. You will be inclined to make statements that show your irritation or try to immediately explain why the correction is not really applicable to you. However, immediate self-defense usually shuts down the person trying to offer the correction - actually that is probably why we react defensively in the first place - to shut them down!

Instead of rushing to your own defense, calm down and explore what the other person is saying. Remember, we tend to be innocent in our eyes. So explore. Ask, "How did I do that? When did I do it? Where do I do it?" Ask clarifying questions until you really understand what the other person is saying.

Then, thank the other person for caring enough about you to take the risk of correcting you - they have given you a "badge of honor," and you deeply appreciate them doing so.*

These are definitely words that I need to keep close by for when a friend corrects me. It is never easy to accept criticism and yet everyone of us needs such correction. The correction we receive is a great reward to our lives.

"Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear." -  Proverbs 25:12.


*Bullock, Harold. Sharper Strokes: Living Smarter . . . Not Harder. Fort Worth: Golden Oak Publishers, 2003, p. 227.