You can handle the truth.

The Crystal Shoppe is my wife’s go-to place. She doesn’t go there for a meal, children’s clothes, dishwasher detergent, or a physical exam. She goes there for crystal and more specifically crystal Christmas ornaments.

Not hard to believe. Why would she go to a place called The Crystal Shoppe for any of those other things? No reason.

Now you may say, yes, but there are some places you can go to get more than one of those things. For example, there are stores that carry children’s clothes and dishwasher detergent. There are even stores where you can get children’s clothes, dishwasher detergent and a meal. I’m pretty sure there are stores where you can get children’s clothes, dishwasher detergent, a meal, and crystal.

But if she wants to be sure she can get crystal, specifically crystal Christmas ornaments, the best place to go is—the crystal store, and for her it’s The Crystal Shoppe.

This same concept applies to our lives. No matter what we want out of life, we should want the truth. Truth is something hard to come by these days. It seems the messaging of everything we see and hear is skewed in some way by the messenger. Do they want you to buy something? Do they want you to see things their way? Do they need your support? It’s tough to find the truth in all of that.

You may be able to find truth while looking for other things. Let’s say you need encouragement.  Have you ever gone to a convention center and paid to listen to a motivational speaker? Or, have you ever shared your struggles with a friend? Friends are a wonderful source of encouragement. Or, how about your boss at work? Do they encourage you to do your best for the company and for yourself? Sure, all of these areas can be encouraging and to some extent truthful.

Or, maybe you need training. Where would you go for that? How about back to college? Your life would consist of classes, professors, study groups, and homework. You could also get a dose of encouragement from schoolmates and counselors, along with some truth.

After pursuing life needs like encouragement and training (and if you’re like me, many other interests), you’re going to need rest. You can find rest in many places. I prefer home. I find rest in reading a book, watching a movie, or thumbing through a favorite magazine. You may find rest in other pastimes. Depending on what you choose, there could be nuggets of truth there, too.

Here’s the big question. Where do you go if you’re seeking truth—real truth? There is but one place—God’s Word. And, you can also find encouragement, training, and rest based on this truth.

Right up to the night of Jesus’ betrayal, He continued to teach His disciples. One of the most important concepts they needed to know was that He is truth. Not only does He tell the truth, show the truth and point to truth—He is truth. Look at His words from John 14:6.

“…I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

My desire for you is this… no matter where you find encouragement, training, or rest, or any other need, go first to God’s Word so that you’ll find truth and all those other things based on truth. You may wonder if you can handle the truth. You can. God wouldn’t provide it if you couldn’t.

Also, consider this. Do you know another reason The Crystal Shoppe is my wife’s go-to place for crystal Christmas ornaments? Because she’s been there time and time again. They’ve proven themselves to meet this need.

Your Bible is the same. Time and time again, you’ll find answers.

Let us know of a time God’s Word brought you through something with truth.