In a 1989 commercial for Cannon Cameras, young tennis star Andre Agassi emerged from a Lamborghini sportscar and uttered the now infamous phrase “Image is everything.” It fit with the vanity of the era, and yet with the shallowness that seems to accompany the rise of social media, this ridiculous slogan seems just as prevalent today. People want to protect their image, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they want to portray only those parts of themselves that fit with their desired image. If the whole truth doesn’t create the image that we want, then we’ll go with the half-truth. If the half-truth doesn’t cut it, then we’ll just try a bolder approach.
What people are slow to catch onto, however, is that you become trapped in the lies that you tell. You wind up spending energy trying to remember who knows the truth and who still believes the lie – who knows the real you and who embraces the false image that you have been projecting and protecting. If someone who knows the truth is talking with someone who believes the lie, do you then need to worry about who says what to whom? And if the truth slips out, do you admit to the lie, or double down in denial? What started out as a simple lie can ultimately become a festering sore that destroys your ability to nurture relationships with others, because you are too concerned that the truth will come out.
As he was teaching a crowd one day, Jesus said “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” His listeners had been fooling themselves about their true condition, and Jesus, who himself is the Truth, had come to free them from the bondage that they found themselves in. Among that crowd that day were people for whom their image was everything, and Jesus pointed out to them that they had become slaves to their image. Yet he also told them that they could turn from their bondage and embrace the truth, thereby freeing themselves from a prison of their own making.
Can I let you all in on a secret? People tend to be very forgiving, and are willing to embrace imperfection. We never assumed that you were perfect to begin with, because none of us is perfect. If you made a mistake, be honest about it. If you told a lie (or several) at some point to protect your image, come clean and release yourself from the bondage that comes with lies. Relationships based upon lies will crumble, but truth provides a solid foundation upon which lasting and fulfilling relationships can flourish.
The truth indeed will set you free, allowing you to fully embrace a reality with authentic and caring relationships that we all desire. The lies required to maintain some false sense of image create barriers that act like prison bars preventing us from true intimacy with others. Given the choice, why would anyone exchange the truth for a lie?
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron