Whether the narrative is George Orwell’s 1984 or Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the proverb reads the same: Lying is hard work.

Think about the vast infrastructure required to perpetuate Putin’s propaganda—disinformation machines, spy organizations, secret police, prison camps, internet blocking. The Russian military intentionally attacks civilians in Ukraine and then denies it. Satellite photos, drone footage, phone recordings, bomb fragments, eyewitness accounts, forensic evidence, and even Russian spokespersons’ contradictory stories provide overwhelming evidence to condemn Russia of war crimes. The Russian response? Further denial and distraction.

Almost no one outside Russia believes the lie, and many within Russia don’t believe it either. Yet the dictator doubles down by punishing the truth-tellers and legislating speech.

It takes a lot of work to lie. And to what end? It never is as effective as it’s intended to be, and it is costly. How many people in Russia and Ukraine have been injured or killed in the past few months to maintain a lie? Indeed, it is harder to lie than tell the truth.

What is true for Vladimir Putin is true for every person who draws breath. We cannot circumvent a single facet of God’s law, though we try every alternative and workaround. Both sooner and later, it will cost us, and it will cost others.

Though your world of influence might be smaller than Putin’s, imagine if it were filled with nothing but truth and light. “You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.…Having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Eph. 4:17-25).

There are many good things the pandemic failed to restrict. Though public arts enjoyment was restricted, people used their extra time to hone creative skills or take up a new creative endeavor.

One blessing of a Reformed perspective is that we see our work and hobbies in a redeemed focus—not as something frivolous and unrelated to ministry or the gospel.

In this issue and upcoming issues, we are pleased to feature some of the creative work of readers of all ages—with some of it created during this pandemic, to the glory of God.

Your creativity extends to a myriad of wonderful things not covered in contests, and I wish it were easy to mention many of them. For example, we have craftsmen who use their creative talent to make quality furniture. We will, in fact, write about some furniture makers in the next issue!