There is something insidious about a lie. A lie keeps us captive. A lie holds us down, keeping our head below water, binding our mouth and our heart.
For years, I believed a Lie. A Lie that I wasn’t wanted. A Lie that I wasn’t needed. A Lie that I wasn’t enough.
I held this Lie close to me. It was my comfort, my confidante, my greatest friend. Every time a loved one said something, or didn’t say something, I used it as fodder to my wound.
The Lie danced around in my head, colouring how I experienced the world around me. But, I didn’t dare expose the Lie I was harbouring. I kept it safe, nestled within my heart.
I nursed the Lie until it grew so large I could no longer contain it.
And then, something snapped within me, finally.
Finally, something broke.
And it was time for me to talk about what I had been bearing.
The first time I spoke the Lie, it lacerated every part of me, shearing the veil of fallacy I was hiding behind.
Saying the Lie out loud unleashed a well of tears that I couldn’t control. I didn’t realize what I had been clinging to, how wearing it was.
I was so overcome with sadness that I needed to share my burden. I told my family what I was believing. I told them how I didn’t feel wanted. I told them how I felt second rate. I told them how I was hurting. I told them how their actions and inactions wounded me in every which way.
I shared it all. I was overflowing with grief and nothing could be held back.
And something strange happened. Something I was not expecting. As I unmasked the Lie, I experienced release. I gave up my Lie’s secrecy, and in return I was met with understanding and clarity.
You see, a Lie cannot live in the light. As soon as it is exposed for what it is, it withers away.
I would not have uncovered this, if I hadn’t shown others the Lie I was harbouring. I learned that there is no opportunity to clarify truth, if we keep things burrowed deep within.
A Lie dies in the light.
And the truth really will set you free.