"From word to deed is like earth to the sky," goes an old Romanian proverb.  How true! Regardless of what claims we make about truth or our metaphysical convictions, unless we demonstrate the impact of these claims in the way we live, we may as well not proclaim them.  As the apostle John said long ago, "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in word and deed" (1 John 3:18).  Fittingly enough, those who promulgate their viewpoints the loudest are the ones who share the greatest onus for backing them up in action.  And more often than not, those who are the loudest are people of faith.
     This tells us several things.  One, it reminds us of the ferocity with which people, those of faith or not, trumpet their convictions.  Two, it encourages us to realize that of the many things that drive people apart, one of the most divisive is hypocrisy.  We tend to reject, quickly, people, particularly those of faith, whose actions do not match their words.  Three, it urges us to admit that however strongly we believe in something, unless we can display it in how we live, we are spinning our wheels.
     After all, as Jesus and many other sages have pointed out, it is not so much what goes into us that matters, but what comes out.
     When many years ago I climbed mountain after mountain across North America, I knew that with each new climb I had always had to begin at the ground floor, the earth, the base of the peak.  And I realized, acutely, that between me, the peak, and the sky beyond it lay many, many hours of work.  I was also aware that even with the planning I had done, I would likely encounter surprises and delays.  So the proverb observes:  the distance between earth--faith--and sky--truth--is always further than we think.