“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:32

Jesus never asked us to close our eyes to the pain of the world. In fact, in three powerful passages of Scripture, we are reminded again and again that the Christian life is not about painting a rosy picture, but about seeing reality clearly and living faithfully in it.

In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus speaks of the final judgment, not in terms of appearances or how good we made things look, but in how we treated “the least of these.” The hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned—these are the true measures of faith. To ignore them is to ignore Christ himself.

In Matthew 5:38–48, Jesus calls us beyond the easy way of retaliation and into radical love—loving our enemies, praying for those who harm us, choosing mercy instead of comfort. That kind of love is not possible if we keep pretending the world is better than it really is. It demands we see the wounds of the world and dare to respond with compassion.

In Galatians 5:22–23, Paul tells us that the Spirit produces fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits grow best not in denial, but in the rich soil of honesty, where we acknowledge suffering and injustice yet choose to live in hope.

To paint a rosy picture is tempting. It shields us from discomfort, spares us from grief, and makes us feel in control. But the gospel calls us to more. Christian hope is not about rose-colored glasses. It is about seeing the world as it truly is—the good, the bad, and the broken—and daring to believe that God is with us in the midst of it.

The rosy picture denies the cross. The real picture sees the cross—and the resurrection beyond it.

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A Prayer

God of truth and mercy,
give us courage to see the world as it is,
to face its wounds and its beauty with open eyes.
Keep us from the false comfort of denial,
and fill us instead with the Spirit’s fruit,
so that our love may be real,
our compassion deep,
and our hope unshakable in Christ.
Amen.

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A Pilgrim’s Reflection

A pilgrim does not walk only through gardens in bloom. The road winds through shadow and sunlight, across barren places and fertile fields. To follow Christ is to keep walking with eyes open, heart awake, and hands ready to serve—trusting that even in the hardest landscapes, God is leading us toward resurrection.