Have you ever noticed that there are many times two sides to every story? Sometimes, there are even more sides. No matter what a person experiences or what relationship difficulties exist, the people involved all have their own side of the story.

Like a boxing match, there are two sides that have opposing views. Which side or view represents the truth? The winning side? Really? Are you sure? Does the truth always win?

In many sports events, there can be two teams and they have opposing intentions. Which team represents the truth? In an argument, which side represents the truth? In an altercation, which side represents the truth? In a court of law, which side represents the truth? The loudest? The angriest? The most insulting and condemning? The sliest? The trickiest?

When Jesus walked, carrying the cross to Golgotha to be killed, the crowds yelled loudly. They angrily shouted insults at Him, condemning Him. They threw things at Him. They used whatever they could – loudness, anger, insults, criticisms, rocks, trash – to make sure they got their views, their anger, their rage, and all their thoughts out. Were they demonstrating the truth because they were loud, angry and condemning? They were united in their condemning Him. Does their being united mean they represented the truth?

There really are two sides to every story, like there are two sides to every coin, two sides to every window, and two very different views from that window’s two sides. Unfortunately, we more often listen to only one side – look through the window at only one view – look at the coin and see only one side without acknowledging the truth of the whole thing. When we do this, and we do it often, we don’t have the whole truth. It’s impossible to have the whole truth. We can go so far to say that we refuse the whole truth.

With only one side of the story, the truth isn’t known. The view then becomes incomplete. The whole truth becomes denied.

Imagine if someone said something about you to others, and that statement hurt you. What if the others hearing it, reacted as if that were the only truth needing to be heard. You knew you had your side of the story, but no one wanted to hear it. They believed what the other person said was the whole truth without your side of the story ever being listened to. What would happen then? Crucifixion. It happens all the time, doesn’t it. How many times are we the ones carrying the hammer and nails?

We can only get the whole truth if we work hard at getting both sides.  We will work hard at getting both sides only if we truly want the whole truth.

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“All that we learn about God and the Truth, we will learn from within.  There are no exceptions to this.  Regardless of if or what we hear come from another person or not.  That spirit which is within our own self, gives witness to Truth, and it is this act that is the true act of learning.  Of course, that doesn’t mean we listen.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 1999-2015, Jodie Senkyrik)