Give me a word
Here's a story about seeking truth that I read in a book called To Know As We Are Known by Parker Palmer.
Some brothers… went to see Abba Felix and they begged him to say a word to them. But the old man kept silence. After they had asked for a long time he said to them, “You wish to hear a word?” They said, “Yes, abba.” Then the old man said to them, “There are no more words nowadays. When the brothers used to consult the old men and when they did what was said to them, God showed them how to speak. But now, since they ask without doing that which they hear, God has withdrawn the grace of the word from the old men and they do not find anything to say, since there are no longer any who carry their words out.” Hearing this, the brothers groaned, saying, “Pray for us, abba.”
This story reminds me that seeking truth isn't as simple as reading something new. Ironically, sometimes giving up reading can be more recalibrating than more of it. There's been times where this has been the case for me and I notice a need for different truth bearing practices. Overall, it's wise to discern what's good with the help of others like Abba Felix.
On a very practical level, I broaden my openness to truth by:
- asking trusted people for another perspective on situations
- not assuming that a book or any piece of new information is the solution to my problem, or being open to reading multiple times
- writing as a way of wrestling and developing with the words I already have
- considering the truth prompting effects of non-verbal experiences like a walk in the park, commitment to intense exercise, travel, staying in one place, being with others, creating something, the list goes on.