On our recent trip to London to attend Irv’s niece’s wedding, we spent some time seeing the sights of London. I have always had a great interest in English history. American history is rooted in English history and my family history is as well. It took every ounce of courage I had as I anticipated the six hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean, but it was so worth it. I enjoyed seeing things I had previously only read about and standing in places I had seen in pictures. 

One of the places we visited was the Churchill War Rooms. These war rooms are an invaluable part of English history which must be intentionally sought out because they are underground. From these basement rooms, Winston Churchill and his staff planned the war strategies that were indispensable to the Allied victory in World War II. The rooms are not cozy and comfortable yet men and women worked day after day below ground, and sometimes even slept overnight there, as the Axis powers dropped bombs on their beloved city directly above.

As we wandered through the rooms, one placard especially caught my attention. It contained a Winston Churchill quote that read, “The great thing is to get the true picture, whatever it is.” The sign went on to read, “Churchill had always understood that knowing what the enemy was planning was vital to winning a war . . . Secret enemy signals were decoded at the key intelligence stations at Bletchley Park. Churchill called them his ‘golden eggs.’” Those golden eggs were the truth nuggets he needed before deciding what he should do next.

We often prefer untruth to truth . . . simply because it is more pleasant and comfortable in the moment. We often choose denial rather than reality because reality is too hard and might result in internal and external conflict. Conflict avoiders will avoid conflict at all cost—even at the cost of truth. There can be no true and lasting peace without action based on the true picture.

I have long been a champion of truth and reality, but courage is required. And if you remember from a previous newsletter article, being committed to truth and reality is a core strength. I have learned to embrace truth, and I think it is partly because my coping mechanism of choice is denial. In fact, I have been accused in the past of living in a “bubble.” A personal bubble can be quite pleasant until reality crashes in and bursts that bubble. We can head off a lot of misery simply by seeking and speaking truth. Jesus is Truth. He will help us walk in truth if we let Him. Truth is what sets us free (John 8:32). But denial keeps us in darkness and bondage.

The first step for people who come for counseling is facing the truth about their situations, their relationships, and themselves. If we think of truth as “golden eggs,” it might make facing reality a bit easier. Truth is precious and rare and invaluable to our relationship with God, others, and even to our own peace of mind. Truth is, indeed, Golden.

During World War II, the Germans never discovered that their codes had been broken. I don’t know if Churchill was a believer in Jesus or a man of prayer, but I know that a lot of Christians were praying and that the battle was against evil.

Jesus said, “. . . If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. John 8:31-32 (NASB)

In His truth,

Elsie