🛠️Practices for Truthfulness

The foundation of authentic relationships with God and each other

This week, we've explored truth as the foundation of authentic relationships with God and each other. But truthfulness isn't just an intellectual position—it's a practice that forms us spiritually. Here are concrete practices to cultivate truthfulness in a culture that often devalues it.

1. Examine Your Information Ecosystem

The Practice: Conduct an audit of your information sources.

Steps:

• List all your regular news and information sources

• Note which political or theological perspective each represents

• Identify gaps or over-representation

• Intentionally add 1-2 quality sources from perspectives different from your own

• Set a calendar reminder to review your information ecosystem quarterly

Reflection Questions:

• What makes me uncomfortable about certain sources?

• Can I distinguish between discomfort with style and discomfort with substance?

• How might my identity markers influence which voices I trust?

Biblical Connection: "Test everything; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

2. Practice Confession and Accountability

The Practice: Establish a regular practice of truthful self-examination and confession.

Steps:

• Set aside 15 minutes each evening for examination

• Review the day's actions, words, and thoughts

• Note moments of untruthfulness, self-deception, or convenient avoidance

• Acknowledge these to God in prayer

• Weekly, share one insight with a trusted friend

• Monthly, practice formal confession with a spiritual director or pastor

Reflection Questions:

• What patterns of untruthfulness am I noticing?

• What fears drive my reluctance to be fully truthful?

• How does confession create space for authentic relationships?

Biblical Connection: "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." (James 5:16)

3. Cultivate Intellectual Humility

The Practice: Practice saying "I don't know" and "I might be wrong."

Steps:

• Keep a "Questions Journal" of things you don't fully understand

• Practice expressing uncertainty in low-stakes conversations

• When discussing contentious topics, start with what you're unsure about

• Ask genuine questions rather than rhetorical ones

• When you make a mistake, acknowledge it directly without qualification

Reflection Questions:

• What makes intellectual humility difficult in our culture?

• How might acknowledging uncertainty create space for deeper understanding?

• What do I fear might happen if I admit I don't know something?

Biblical Connection: "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil." (Proverbs 3:7)

4. Practice the Pause

The Practice: Create intentional space between information and reaction.

Steps:

• Establish personal waiting periods before sharing information (24 hours for provocative content)

• Before sharing, ask three questions: "Is it true?" "Is it necessary?" "Is it kind?"

• Create physical reminders (bracelet, phone background) as triggers for mindfulness.

• Practice breathing exercises when encountering triggering content

• Partner with a friend who will ask you, "Have you paused to verify this?"

Reflection Questions:

• How does immediacy culture affect my relationship with truth?

• When have I regretted quick reactions to information?

• How might waiting create space for discernment?

Biblical Connection: “You must understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,* for human anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” (James 1:19, * echoing Prov 5:1, 2; 10:19)

5. Create Spaces of Mutual Truth-Seeking

The Practice: Establish or join communities committed to shared discernment of truth.

Steps:

• Identify or create a small group focused on truthful dialogue

• Establish ground rules that prioritize mutual understanding over winning

• Practice charitable interpretation of others' views

• Intentionally include diverse perspectives in the group

• Regularly evaluate how power dynamics affect truth-telling in the group

Reflection Questions:

• How do my communities help or hinder truthfulness?

• What makes a space safe for truthful exploration?

• How can I contribute to creating such spaces?

Biblical Connection: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." (Matthew 18:20)

Deeper Practice: Contemplative Truth-Seeking

For those seeking deeper formation in truthfulness, consider these contemplative practices:

Lectio Divina with Challenging Texts:
Apply the ancient practice of sacred reading to texts that challenge your assumptions. Approach scripture that makes you uncomfortable with openness, allowing God to speak through it.

Silence and Solitude:
Regular periods of silence create space to hear the truth beyond our preconceptions. Start with 10 minutes daily and gradually increase.

Examen of Consciousness:
Use the Ignatian Examen to review your day, paying attention to moments of truth and deception and asking for greater awareness of both.

Prayer for Truthfulness

Lord of Truth,

In a world of competing claims,
Grant us discerning hearts.
Where we cling to comfortable half-truths,
Grant us courage for the whole.
Where we use truth as a weapon,
Teach us truth that heals.
Where we fear what truth might cost us,
Remind us that your truth sets us free.

Form in us a love of truth
Not as possession but as participation,
Not as certainty but as relationship,
With you who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Amen.

— From the personal prayers of Craig Geevarghese-Uffman

This Week's Challenge

Choose one practice from this list to implement daily this week. Journal briefly about your experience each day, noting both challenges and insights. Share what you're learning with at least one trusted person.

Truthfulness isn't about having all the right answers—it's about orienting our lives toward reality as God sees it. Each small practice of truthfulness forms us more deeply into the image of Christ, who is Truth embodied.