“I just don’t know what to believe, anymore!”

In our information-dense culture we are constantly bombarded with information; every source claiming to have the true take on every topic. With wildly conflicting versions, no wonder we don’t know what to believe. This is a real problem and one we can’t simply ignore. How and what we believe guides our actions, for good or ill. 

A few years ago Macy’s began a holiday ad campaign with the one-word slogan, “Believe.”  What did they want us to believe in? The Christmas spirit? Santa Claus? Spending money in their stores? What? Without context their slogan was meaningless.

We are often told to believe in ourselves, or that if we only believe strongly enough in achieving our goals we can make them happen. The inference is that the power of belief is the important value in life’s equations, without regard to what is being believed.

The dictionaries I referred to all gave some variation of the definition of belief as an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially without proof. So, if we are to believe without definitive proof, how do we know what to believe? Are we to remain entangled in a morass of conflicting information, never knowing what is real and true?

As a Christian, I place my trust and belief in God’s Word, the Bible. When battered by storms of confusion, I cling to His promises, knowing that upsetting events, dramatic headlines, and extreme rhetoric cannot shake my firm belief that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (CEV)