The Truth About 'Your Truth' 🫵

Let’s start with a confession.

I am a grateful believer in Jesus, and I struggle with occasionally watching The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, or maybe even worse… Bachelor in Paradise. And my name is David.

Kind of kidding, kind of not. Anyways...

If you are anything like me, and can somehow get past the drama, the rose ceremonies, and the absurd idea of finding lifelong love based purely on chemistry and camera angles, you might notice something else hidden beneath all the chaos.

Those shows actually offer a window into the messages our world keeps preaching to us. Messages that sound empowering but might quietly be robbing your soul of what it longs for most.

One of my favorite lines from the Bachelor universe, and by favorite, I mean the one that makes me laugh the most, is:

“I’m just living my truth.”

“Well, that’s my truth.”

Have you noticed that phrase is never said calmly? It always comes mid argument when someone is trying to justify themselves or land the final word.

But here is what is even more dangerous: the belief underneath that line. The belief that truth is something you own, that it originates inside of you, and that no one can tell you otherwise.

That idea, “This is my truth,” has quietly become one of the most destructive beliefs we could ever entertain.

Let me explain.

This idea of living or having "my truth" can sound many different ways in our world. It may not always come out as “my truth,” but it sounds like this instead:

• “I just need to do what feels right for me.”

• “No one can tell me who I am.”

• “I have to stay true to myself, no matter what.”

• “I deserve to be happy.”

• “I will make my own meaning.”

All of those phrases sound inspiring, but have you noticed what you are actually saying in each one? Or the assumption that lies beneath them?

It is this: what is deepest inside of me is automatically what is most true and most trustworthy.

The problem is that our feelings and impulses are constantly changing. And if we make them our compass, we end up drifting further from the very thing we were made for, which is also what you and I long for: connection.

To be known fully and loved completely.

Our culture says, “Be your authentic self.” It sounds freeing, even noble.

But the more I have watched it play out, both in our world and in myself, the more I realize that living your truth often does the exact opposite of what you hope for.

Rather than being a pathway to being known and accepted, it can actually isolate you and keep you hidden. It starts small. You emphasize the parts of your story that make you look strong. You downplay the parts that feel weak or confusing. You curate a version of yourself that others will admire or affirm.

Before long, that version starts running your life. You are living your truth, sure, but it is a version you have edited for public release. Isn’t it exhausting?

Because somewhere deep inside, you know the truth you are projecting is not the truth you are living.

When you make your truth the ultimate thing, you make yourself the center of it. When you are the center, you carry the full weight of maintaining it. You have to defend it, explain it, and protect it.

Eventually, that gets lonely, and it leads to the kind of isolation that 1 Peter 5:8 warns about:

Notice that word, someone. Not a crowd. The enemy looks for the one who has been isolated and primed for lies.

Remember, no one can truly know you if you are constantly performing.

How do I know this? Because I have lived it, and it led to patterns I wish did not have a place in my life.

Here is the shift that changed everything for me.

Real truth does not come from within. It is received from outside and it is offered to all.

Truth is not something we manufacture. It is something we receive.

The Gospel flips the whole idea of “living your truth” upside down. It says:

• You do not have to create your identity. You can rest in one that is already spoken over you.

• You do not have to project an image. You can finally be known because your worth is not up for negotiation.

• You do not have to perform for belonging. You can live from belonging.

Your value is not something you earn. It is something you receive.

That is the real truth, the kind that does not isolate but finally sets you free.

Where have you been “living your truth” in a way that is really just protecting an image? And what might it look like this week to receive truth instead of perform it?

If this hits close to home for you, you are not alone. Every one of us knows what it feels like to hide behind an image we built to stay safe.

We all crave to be both known and loved at the same time, yet we fear that if people saw the whole story, they might walk away. I’d like to encourage you this week to find one or two people you trust, and bring them in on what is really happening in your world. It could be the beginning of finding a Truth that can set you free.

But here is the good news. God already sees the whole story, and He does not flinch.

He names you, values you, and calls you His own. That is the truth that can hold your soul steady when the world tells you to keep performing.

You can stop carrying the weight of your image and finally rest in being fully known and fully loved.

As always, let us know how we can help you navigate your world as you navigate the world.

In Your Corner.

See you next Tuesday!