to know truth

Once upon a time, I thought that after much study and meditation, I would know truth. Older and wiser, I now know that to know truth, particularly the Truth that is Jesus, requires a lifetime . . . and maybe then some. In Anton Chekhov's book "The Duel," one character is being rowed out to a steamer. The main character watches as the rowboat slips into the mist and observes: "The boat goes on and on now it can no longer be seen, and in half an hour the oarsmen will clearly see the steamer’s lights, and in an hour they’ll already be by the steamer’s ladder.  So it is in life . . . In search of truth, people make two steps forward and one step back.  Sufferings, mistakes, and the tedium of life throw them back, but the thirst for truth and a stubborn will drive them on and on.  And who knows?  Maybe they’ll row their way to the real truth. . . .”  It is a hard and sometimes tiresome journey, but I journey on, believing truth worth the effort.