By Danny Minton

Growing up, there were a lot of things we were told were facts that turned out to be unconfirmed information. Some of the things I was told during the growing up years was that girls will give you cooties if they touch you, you will derail a train if you put a penny on the track, you will go to jail for picking bluebonnets, cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis, frogs are the source of warts, chewing gum will stay in your stomach for years if swallowed, stretching a funny face will make it grow that way, it is bad luck to open an umbrella inside or walk under a ladder, and breaking a mirror gives you seven years bad luck. None of these were things that amounted to harmful lies; just misinformation that some passed off as truth.

Once again, we are in a time when parties will decide who they want to elect to lead their communities, states, and the country. It’s primary time, and within each party, the candidates will tell their voters why they should vote for them and why they shouldn’t vote for their opponent. Each will highlight their strengths in standing by their party and outline their opponents’ weaknesses and bad points. In most cases, candidates will tell you only what makes them look good and their opponents look bad, even if it’s not the whole story. Rarely will you ever see a candidate tell the complete truth about themselves and not put down their opponent. 

We live in a world of misinformation. In some cases, it is harmless, like the things I was told growing up. In many cases, spreading misinformation can have serious consequences for both the one spreading it and the one who is the subject of the comments. The most difficult thing we have to deal with is “What is the real truth?”

From what I’m hearing, people today are having difficulty trusting people in all parts of society. In a recent Gallup Poll, the most mistrusted professions are lobbyists, members of Congress, and tv reporters. Advertisers, newspaper reporters, car salesmen, and lawyers were a little better but still had a net negative rating. The most trusted in the poll were nurses and grade-school teachers, followed by veterinarians, military leaders, and doctors. Sadly, judges, clergy, and police officers were barely on the positive side of the scale. (Gallop: 2025 Honesty and Ethics of Professions Ratings)

I think people want to trust what others say. They want to trust that others have their best interests in mind and are not just out to take advantage of them. The problem is, we don’t know where to turn to get what we hope is an unbiased truth about things that matter to us. We go online and find a myriad of opinions on every topic we look up. We talk to people we trust and get different answers and opinions on things. We listen to someone on television report a story and then turn the channel and get another version of the same story. We find ourselves wading through what we read, see, and hear, trying to sort out the truth. In the end, you’re probably like me, doing the best you can to muddle through everything and make the life decisions you feel are best. At the same time, you have to respect the fact that sometimes you may be wrong in your decision.

By seeking out the truths in my life, I learned a lot of valuable information. Among those things are girls will not give you cooties if they touch you, chewing gum will not last seven years in your stomach, frogs don’t cause warts, a penny on the track will not derail a train, opening an umbrella inside will not give you bad luck, you will not go to jail for picking bluebonnets, arthritis is not caused by knuckle cracking, your face will always return to normal after making a funny face, and the only thing about broken mirrors and walking under ladders is a cut hand or a paint can falling on your head which are usually over in days instead of seven years. 

Most importantly, I learned that there is one place I can always turn to for the truth, God’s word. The writer of the book of Hebrews reminds us, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings.”  Hebrews 13:s7-9a (NASB)

Though these words were an encouragement and warning to the people who faced teachings that took them away from God, to me, they are also words relevant to today. When everything around us seems to be falling apart, and we don’t know who to believe and trust. When our hearts are heavy, and our minds are concerned about the world we live in, the words are a reminder that there is something and someone greater than all the people and all the turmoil in our world. There is one place we can turn and get the same answer over and over—someone who will not change His mind or choose political sides. 

What he stands for means more than what any human being might say or do that affects our lives. Jesus Christ is the one we can turn to and receive the same comfort, guidance, and encouragement. He will never change. As the Hebrews’ writer says, He is the same today as He was yesterday and will be the same when we wake up tomorrow. 

Danny Minton, a member of Southern Hills Church of Christ, is a hospital chaplain