There is Freedom in Truth

Growing up in my household, I was the youngest of three. My brother, the oldest, is four years older than me. The middle child, my sister, is two years older than me. My brother and sister were always up to something. When my mom would go hang out with her friends or her sisters, my siblings were left to keep an eye on me.

On the nights when siblings figured my mom would be out late, they'd decide to have friends over. Of course, they knew this was a no, no. Mom would make it very clear to all of us that no one was to be in the house when she wasn't home. Being young pre-teens and teenagers, my brother and sister got it in their heads that they could get away with it.

They'd make me promise not to tell, let me stay up late and feed me whatever I wanted. There were times when the pair were not as careful as they thought they were. They would leave something out or not put something back where it was. Mom was a neat freak and it would only take her a second to sense when something was off. It was those time I became filled with deep regret. I was caught between not lying to my mom and ratting out my siblings.

"Let the truth set you free!" Mom would say knowing full well she only had to ask me once. Out of my mouth would tumble the sorted details of how my sister and brother had friends over after she had warned them not to. My siblings would be grounded from here to eternity and I felt awful.

I remember once telling my mom how terrible I felt about spilling the beans on my brother and sister. Mom said to me, "it is their choices that got them in trouble not your telling. When they try to get you to keep a secret from me they are taking you down with them. By telling, you are freeing yourself from their choices and they have to learn that their choices have consequences." Mom went on to tell me that if I had not told, I would have been grounded too because of my choices.

Later in life I understood what mom meant when she said the truth will set me free. When we hold on to things like guilt, anger, resentment, pain, hatred and shame we are holding our lives and our futures hostage. The decisions we make in the midst of our pain, anger, hatred or shame can affect our lives and the lives of those we care about for years. As we are making choices from a place of hurt or resentment. But when we speak that pain, share that anger, let go of that hatred, we free ourselves. We free our minds, we free our hearts, and we free our future. We begin to make decisions from a place of clear understanding. Decisions that can positively impact our lives and the lives of those we love.