Wanting to be ‘Right’

By Shannon Ready

I love being a mum…most of the time.  However, I have found being pregnant again has brought many physical challenges that have been compounded by the fact that my youngest child still is not walking and is becoming heavier to carry.  We have seen all the professionals, but she is so determined NOT to walk that there is not much we can do until she changes her mind.  She is thoroughly convinced that bottom shuffling is the answer and believes that she can dance,  jump and run from her gravity-challenged position. 

The other day she had a race with her eldest sister and proceeded to chase her as fast as her little bottom could slide. Her sister ran on, then waited patiently until she caught up with her three minutes later!  She did not notice that her method of running was not entirely effective.  At times I wonder whether she will still be bottom-shuffling on her first day of school!

Whilst it can be amusing to see a child entirely convinced of their own ‘rightness’, it is amazing how as adults our own perception of things can be a type of blindness as well.  So many times I have been absolutely convinced that the way I see things is right and been appalled that others could think differently. 

Years later, I have come to realise that it was actually my own views that were distorted.  So, how do we know what is truth?  Do we let ourselves be swayed by the loudest voice around us?  Do we stand on our own “rightness,” alienating ourselves from everyone who has a different view on life, judging them according to our own?  Do we simply shrug our shoulders, believing that truth is not static, but something transient that changes from generation to generation and person to person? 

When Jesus was on earth He said, ‘if you continue in My word, …. you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’  (John 8: 31-32)  What truth is He referring to? It is the truth that concerns me most - about who I am and who God always planned me to be. 

What is this Word? It is the words that I am hearing preached, and more specifically, hearing from those I have a relationship with - about the way I am living and things I cannot see about myself.  It is encouraging to think that God has a plan for me, and that when I have “ears to hear” I can know Him, the truth, and live a more fulfilling life than I could ever imagine.