Our Own Truth Heals Us

Not all truth is healing. If someone's truth is rooted in rot and degradation, connected to evil and hatred, it offers little solace or comfort to those at whom it is targeted or directed. It isn't everyone's desire to tell truth, share it, or own it, but for those of us determined to escape the pain and trauma of lies and shame, ours must be told in an effective and prudent way. Any truth can heal some while hurting others, but when the goal is life, harmony, unity, and community, acknowledgment, and acceptance is life-changing. The effect of lies, deceit, and deception, on the other hand, are life-threatening. You don't tell your truth to convince others it's true. You tell your truth to heal you. You don't tell your truth to anyone who's listening. You tell your truth to those connected to your freedom from its shame or denial even if the only one you tell it too is you. You don't need permission or validation. You need courage and character. With courage comes the responsibility for how it's told, when it's told, and to whom it is told. Character will define the scope and magnitude of its impact. If releasing your truth is only done so as a ploy or tactic to destroy or harm others, it ceases to be the healing force you need and adds to the rhetoric of pain that already exists around you. When truth is handled responsibly, reasonably, courageously, and with integrity, healing really begins. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:32 (WEB)