Chapter 11

TRUTH HEALS

President James A. Garfield said the following: “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.”

Have you ever been skipping through life, and all of a sudden you trip and fall? Now you’re sitting there with tears in your eyes, and there’s dirt and possible infection threatening your elbows. As you look in the mirror, you see the bits of gravel, and the ugly wound that’s now a part of who you are. You’ve been hurt—badly.

It’s time to clean out the dirt. The first thing I reach for in these situations is hydrogen peroxide. Sure, it stings a little bit, but I like watching the bubbles form all around the wound—it makes me feel like the “germ destroyers” are initiating some heavy-duty warfare. Remember, the truth will first make you miserable.

                Think about how this relates to our relationships: Have you ever “tripped and fallen” in one of your relationships? Perhaps you and a friend had a “falling out”? Maybe there’s an even more sensitive wound that was created in a love-relationship?