New Clothes for an Emperor

"In passing, we should note this curious mark of our own age: the only absolute allowed is the absolute insistence that there is no absolute." -Francis Schaeffer

Sometimes it seems indeed curious that people would be so willing to create a smoke screen such as this to hide behind. The statement is put thus: "There is no such thing as absolute truth", generally spoken in the most absolute of ways. Yet a glaring contradiction like this is happily accepted and the transparent shield behind which they hide feels adequate to those who created it. The emperor may be naked, but happily so apparently.

If it is not this screen it is usually another. Something, anything to hide from God. But is that not another contradiction? How does one hide from an all knowing God? By pretending he does not exist, or hiding one's face from him and ignoring Him? But what have we accomplished with this? It would seem only to deceive ourselves.

Resisting God is a tiring ordeal as the Hound of Heaven is tireless in his pursuit of us. But grateful we should be that it is He who pursues us and not the other way around! Indeed, we would all be utterly doomed if that were the case. He slowly breaks down our defenses until we find that the greatest freedom comes in surrendering to His will. Another contradiction? Not at all.

"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. " - John 8:-34-36

Ignoring this truth may be the desire of some, but truly freedom comes from abandoning the road of our own choosing and following Christ and the will and plan God has set before us. No one who speaks these words says so without speaking from experience. I, like many, have tried (and far too often still try far too often!) to go my own way. A terrible fall, flat on my face, is always the result. Sadly it is human nature to often forget these lessons. Yet we have the grace of God to lift us up and set us back on the right path. It is that same grace that found us from our initial wanderings in the dark and introduced us to a new life of freedom in Him.

There is absolute truth after all...and it can be known. Truth does not disappear by pretending it does not exist.

“Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
Save Me, save only Me?
All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child’s mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
Rise, clasp My hand, and come!
...
Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He Whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.”

"The Hound of Heaven", spoken as the Voice of God to whom he chasest - Francis Thompson