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The Desperate Search For Truth ~ Emmett Bryant

     Some of the greatest works in literature have been cheerful and joyous in their themes, but I have always been attracted to the dark and gloomy side of writing. Not necessarily because it entertains me but more so because I feel as though the desperate works of many writers have come closer to understanding the human condition than any other. A quote of Augustine's from the opening of book VI in Confessions resonated with me deeply.

    The quote reads, "I was looking for you outside myself and I did not find the God of my own heart. I had reached the depths of the ocean. I had lost all faith and was in despair of finding the truth." Augustine had been searching all his life up to this point for the truth, whatever that truth might be. He chased after love and sexual desire, thinking that truth might lie within those things. He then thought that truth might reside with the Manichees, but alas, it was not there either. He searched and searched for truth leaving his heart in despair because he could not find it. It was not until he turned to God that he found the ultimate Truth. Just as Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (ESV). 

    Once Augustine realized that Truth resides in God alone, his soul had reason to rejoice. Even though he had walked the treacherous way of the wicked, his heart was not fulfilled and content until he turned to the Father. Augustine's spiritual journey is a guide and a light to all those who read his works. He no longer lived for temporal gain or worldly truth, but lived for the everlasting Truth, Yeshua. 

I commented on Ian Blair's post and Abigale Bell's post. 

Comments

  1. Abigale BellFebruary 1, 2021 at 6:27 PM

    Hi Emmett! I really enjoyed reading your post! I think you spoke on a very real topic. Everyone searches for truth. Everyone is turning in every direction, looking for something to give meaning to their life. Augustine finally found it. I think his search is, as you said, a testimony which bears witness to the greatness of God and can be a light on the path to others who are searching.

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  2. ClaboFebruary 1, 2021 at 9:30 PM

    Isn't it ironic how it sometimes takes searching everywhere and in everything to become desperate enough to find it in the God who resides everywhere and is in all things. Most of the time, reaching rock-bottom either leads us to the point of turning to God or continuing to attempt to dig even deeper.

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  3. abbieheddenFebruary 1, 2021 at 10:14 PM

    I loved your post. If we keep pouring into broken wells, we will never find true joy. We have an infinite desire for peace, and it cannot be filled by anything that is finite. Augustine found that out by chasing sex and other distractions. In the centuries of humanity, we have never found anything to satisfy us - besides Jesus!

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