On the day following the “not guilty” verdict of Casey Anthony, I thought about the concept of telling the truth. Even if truth is not disclosed, it still exists. It doesn’t dissolve. The truth concerning the death of Caylee Anthony has not vanished. It is simply unrevealed. More sobering is this thought… If I choose to distort circumstances so truth is hidden, I will eventually suffer, and no jail will be needed to evoke my punishment.

Here is the truth about deception. The minds of liars and self-deceivers suffer tremendously. Deception is a robber, a thief of opportunity. By hiding or denying what is true, opportunity for correction, instruction, reviving, and healing is stolen.

What is your worst truth? The thing you want no one else to know about? Something you continue to deny or hide? Is it some harm that happened to you years ago? Is it a faltering marriage? Is it a wayward child? Is it a self-destructive habit, or something you are ashamed of? Maybe instead of the dilemma of denying your fault you exist with the opposite problem. You take blame for things beyond your control. False guilt. Hear me on this…… All of these things are not only harmful, but also what you DO with them can make your life worse.

Think about this example. A thorn pierces me, and I do nothing but conceal it. I do not identify or remove the thorn. I do not clean, or protect the wound it makes in my skin. What I do instead is ignore, or hide the bad truth of having a thorn pierce my skin. I cover it up with my clothes and go about my day. Is it any shock when one day I find myself facing a serious infection affecting my whole body—an infection that may even cost my life?

Flesh eating bacteria. Life eating circumstances. Circumstances where we might falsely agree to guilt, OR disguise, hide, or ignore true guilt.

They say truth hurts. It does, but truth is more than pain, or pain’s absence. I believe telling the truth becomes an opportunity to take action. If you lie to yourself or others about the truth of a situation, you play against God, the revealer of truth. You strive against the actions He would offer that could help or heal.

Maybe you have told the truth about a harmful situation. Once. Maybe the reaction to your truth telling was bad. Does a bad reaction change the truth of what happened? No. A situation where harm was committed against you is still true whether another believes it, or not. KEEP ON telling the truth, until you obtain the help and action you need.

Don’t get hung up on the FIRST reaction to your truth telling. (Unless it is a helpful reaction.) In the “sport of truth telling it is often NOT the first reaction that is the best. Many a foul has been committed when truth first enters the room. YOU might even be responsible for the first bad reaction to your own self-admission of truth. Maybe you appropriately cry about your truth. You mourn and feel pain. OR you try to numb the pain of truth with ‘stuff”…excessive eating, drinking, shopping, exercising, television watching, drugs, self cutting …. Don’t quit finding help for your truth, just quit the stupid stuff that doesn’t help.

Remember at some point in this truth telling process if you know God you will find joy again. If you work at honest appraisal, someday you will be able to say like David says in Psalm 71, verse 19-22…..

“O God, who is like you, or who is your equal? You, who have shown us troubles great and sore, will quicken us again and will bring us up from the depths of the earth. Increase my honor, and turn and comfort me. I will also praise You with the harp, even Your TRUTH and faithfulness, O my God; unto You I will sing praises….”

Here’s my summary. Facing or declaring the truth in a situation becomes the step that clears the way for change to happen. If the truth is personal, it can often involve getting to the root of a strong emotion. Like making a recipe, truth is the ingredient I have on hand. Admitting truth lets me know what I lack to become more contented and healed.

With God’s help, I DARE YOU (and myself) to get honest with our lives—tell the truth and start becoming whole.