You know how an echo works…in the cave or the canyon, you say a word, word, word, word. And you hear it repeated time after time, after time, after time. You get it. I’ve met a few people over the years who live by echos. They believe that if you hear it more than once, it must be true. That, by the way, is a very effective political strategy. Say it often enough and loud enough and, in time, lots of people will believe it’s true. And that’s fine, if it is true. But accidental misstatements or deliberate lies can become truth-echos, too. So, check the source. Do your homework. Don’t be taken in by echos of what might or might not be accurate.
In matters of faith and belief, the same advice. Just because the preacher says it on the TV doesn’t mean it is accurate or even true. Check the source. But even that’s a little tricky, because reader A and reader B might read the same words but come up with different meanings or applications. Aren’t we supposed to “spread the Gospel?” “Tell the old, old story?” Yes, of course…but.
Your experience, not someone else’s echo. Your message, not somebody else’s misunderstanding or self-serving interpretation. And, of course, that means that you have some “experience,” some encounter with things spiritual; some deliberate dialogue with Christ. Perhaps the point is best stated by, of all people, Albert Einstein: “Be a voice, not an echo.” I believe the world wants to hear a “voice” not an “echo.” The Voice says: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The echo says: yes, but under these circumstances… The Voice says: “Love your neighbor as youself.” The echo declares: yes, if they are like you… The Voice says: “Welcome the stranger…” Echo: build fences; don’t trust… Listen to the Voice, not what you want the Voice to say. Hear the Voice, not the cultural, political or social biases that betray truth. Then be the living Voice…not an echo, echo, echo.
Easy? Nobody said it would be. Authenticity comes with a price.
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