The Importance of a Good Belt

by Matthew Johnson

One of the funniest things that I had to go through as a kid was picking the right belt.  There were occasions where I would spend a painstakingly long time with my parents, trying to find a belt that fit and looked right--one with just enough length and loops to keep my pants up, but not uncomfortably squeeze my small, lanky frame in the process.

Contrary to what people may say, belts serve only two purposes:

1) They hold up our lower clothing.
2) They hold tools and other items.

It wasn't until around the 19th Century that belts became more about aesthetics and fashion.  Men would even cinch their belts extra tight in order to appear more imposing.  So this makes the idea of a "belt of truth"...well, a very strange concept.

We live in a relativistic world, which is a bit strange considering the concept of no aboslute truth is itself absolute truth.  Yet this is the case, and we find ourselves surrounded by statements and cliches like:

"Let's agree to disagree."
"That may work for you, but this works for me."
"It's all about perspective."
"I'll do me and you do you."

In a world like this, claiming something like "truth" or "the way" can seem closed-minded and pompous.  And those who have strong beliefs, who know for certain that they have the truth, can often feel persecuted and put down.  So they either tighten their belts of truth so tightly that they are unable to breath, or they wear them so loosely that they end up with sagging pants and not much conviction.

There is a very big difference between carefully looking at the belt of another person and loosening one's own.

Oftentimes I think we're afraid to hear from other people about their beliefs because we're afraid that it means we're not holding onto our own.  We feel as though we are exposing ourselves to lies and deception.  But listening and observing the conviction and tightness and quality of another's belt, does not mean you will or should drop your own.

The purpose of the belt of truth is to protect us from the lies and deception we encounter in daily spiritual warfare.  It is an essential piece of equipment that both protects our midsection and gives us a foundation to hold our sword and equipment.  After all, is there any point to having the Word of God if we don't believe in God?  The truth of Jesus Christ and what He's done is a reminder to us that we can reflect on in the face of any of the enemy's tricks and, like any good belt, holds much of the rest of our armored outfit together.