“Live your truth.” (Lady Gaga).
Welcome this morning to another fortune cookie quote, this one by Lady Gaga. It reflects the “I did it my way” idea, but with a twist. Not only does it invite us to all live “our way,” but it further suggests there isn’t one truth. There’s your truth, my truth, and everyone else’s truth. It’s all subjective.
In a world full of filters, branding, and carefully crafted versions of ourselves, “live your truth” sounds refreshingly honest. Don’t fake it. Don’t pretend. Don’t shrink to fit someone else’s expectations.
In a world of fakeness, pretense, and make-believe, authenticity is refreshing … one might even say, holy. And yet….
Lent has a way of slowing us down just enough to ask a slightly awkward question: What if my truth isn’t the whole truth or even the truth at all?
Scripture doesn’t talk about “my truth” or “your truth,” but it speaks a lot about the truth. And at the center of that truth stands a Person.
Jesus said in John’s Gospel, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Paul writes about the importance of knowing the truth, because the truth will set us free. Paul is talking about Jesus.
That’s both comforting and unsettling.
It’s comforting because truth isn’t an abstract principle we construct for ourselves. It’s not a moving target. It’s not dependent on our mood before coffee. Truth is embodied in Christ, and it is steady, faithful, and gracious.
It’s unsettling because it means we don’t get to invent our own reality. I don’t simply “live my truth.” I live in response to Christ’s truth.
This doesn’t mean suppressing who we are or lessening our individuality. Quite the opposite. The strange paradox of the Gospel is that when we surrender our version of the story, we actually become more ourselves. Not less.
Lent isn’t about erasing personality; it’s about refining identity. It’s about letting God gently expose the places where “my truth” has drifted from his and getting me back on track.
What if living truthfully means something deeper? Not performing. Not pretending. Not posturing. But standing before Christ and realizing his truth. You are beloved. You may be broken, but you are accepted. You are becoming. What you are now doesn’t define what you will be.
That truth is better and far more loving than anything we could manufacture. So, sorry Lady Gaga. Let’s not live our truths that aren’t really truth at all, but learn and live the truth of Christ. That’s being authentic to who … and whose … we are.
Prayer: Jesus, you are Truth, living, loving, and full of grace. Where I cling to my own version of things, gently correct me. Where I am afraid to be honest, give me courage. Lead me deeper into what is real, and shape my life around your truth. Amen.
