Face the Truth

January 16, 2024

From Pastor Joseph Wamack

A woman rushed her very limp pet duck into her veterinarian’s office. As she lay her duck on the exam table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your duck has passed away."

The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," he replied.

"How can you be so sure," she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, sighed, turned, and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner watched in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table, and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. The lab looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog and led him out of the room. The vet returned moments later with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and sniffed delicately at the bird. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100 percent certifiably, a dead duck." The vet turned to his computer, hit a few keys, and printed a bill, and gave it to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill.

"$500.00!" she cried, "$ 500.00 just to tell me my duck is dead!!"

The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $75, but with the LAB report and the CAT scan, it's now $500.00."

Sometimes we have trouble believing the truth, even if we can see it right in front of our eyes. We fight against it, we want it to be different, we are afraid to hear it. But still-truth is truth. And when we face up to the truth-we will improve our chances of moving forward in growth and improvement with our lives.

What is a truth you need to face in 2024? Is it the numbers on the scale telling you your weight is too high? Or is it your blood pressure? Do you need to improve your health? Is it to improve your marriage or a relationship? Is it to be a better parent? Is it to do better at work? Is it to connect to God more? Is it to open the Bible and open your heart to make a stronger, deeper connection to God? Nothing ever improved or got better just by ignoring it and hoping it would change and get better. Hope is a good starting point-but now connect some action to that hope. Have your life be built on a faith that works. Jesus said, “You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32). There is freedom in Truth. There is freedom in knowing God. Believe it. Move on it!