The Truth Frees Us

When someone has been trained all of their lives to believe something, it is nearly impossible to convince them of the truth later.

Those who have been secretly abused emotionally and physically by family members keep their secret because they know that those who heard the lie continually over the years, will not believe them.

I have met many people who have been treated shamefully by family only to be further abused by those who believe the abuser is a wonderful person.

There is a story that comes to mind that I heard in recent years. This story demonstrates the agony it is for someone who has been abused when others are praising the abuser.

There was a young man who attended a particular high school. This young man's father was the coach at that school. Nearly every day that young man encountered fellow students who approached him to praise his father about what a wonderful person he was.

The agony in this for the young man was that he knew his father but no one else speaking these glowing words to him knew his father. They were basing their opinion of the father on how friendly he was to everyone else at school.

What those who loved the father didn't know is that every night that father would become drunk, beating, shouting and berating his wife and son mercilessly. There was no love in the home but there was a lot of pretending at school.

This is the very reason we are not to idolize people, choosing to believe they are wonderful when we often have no clue as to the real person who is displaying their false persona to everyone but their own families.

No one turns into a monster in one place and back into a wonderful person another. Those who are good people are good all the time to every one. The monster is the real person who hides this part of themselves in front of those they wish to impress.

There are people who want to be loved by everyone outside the home, but do not care if they demonstrate love to their own families. They count on their families not telling on them as well as counting on others not believing the family if they do tell.

This number is growing in these times since the culture has been teaching that "hurting people hurt people", an ridiculous assertion since there are lots of hurting people who can't stand to hurt others because they were hurt.

To excuse someone when they act badly because someone acted badly toward them is utterly ludicrous. Perhaps we ought to say that those who have been hurt and choose to hurt others because of it, have learned from their abusers that one can get away with mean spiritedness. It makes no sense to treat someone badly who never did anything to them, just because someone unrelated to the target hurt them.

Everyone has been hurt in their life, some worse than others, this does not give them permission to expect compassion. How utterly absurd is it to have compassion for the abuser, it is the victim that should get the compassion.

The mentality that "hurting people hurt people" has caused the culture to spend more time on comforting the abuser than paying attention to the victim. I reject the false assumption that people hurt others because they are hurt.

I also reject that notion that victims should remain silent about the abuse they experienced.

I once heard the story of two psychiatrists walking along the road. As they walked along they saw a broken and bleeding man in the ditch. One psychiatrist said to the other, "the man that did this really needs our help." The focus in this story shows what ungodly thinking leads to, the compassion is extended to the evil one while the victim is left without help.

Proverbs 28:4
"Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them."

John 3:20
"Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

Ephesians 5:11 "…10 Test and prove what pleases the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."

Those who are to weak to face the truth need to stop making human beings their idols. We should never be surprised and shocked when someone is exposed. As though they are not capable of something wicked. If we believe someone could never do something wicked, then we have an idol, we are worshiping the wrong god.

John 8:44
"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

When we expose evil it affords the wicked man the opportunity to repent. If that wicked person has died and there is no opportunity to repent, the truth will cause other people to fear getting caught and exposed. Exposure of sin is a deterrent to repeat offenses and first time offenses.

If you have been abused you must remove yourself from all those who take the side of the abuser. Those who love their fantasies about the abuser will never understand, nor do they want to understand.

However, there is One Who does understand, One Who has seen it all, knows every heart and will never leave you comfortless, that is Jesus Christ. He wants us to tell the truth. He does not want anyone to live in a fantasy land, continually making up stories to elevate our favorite people. Elevating our favorite people ultimately ends up elevating us. Those who elevate others want to be elevated themselves.

It must be agonizing to God to watch human beings praising people who hate Him. It must be agonizing to God to watch people denying what His children have gone through while lying against the victim and God.

Truth is not important to those who love their fantasies. Truth is not a priority for those who lack empathy toward the victims of evil men and women.

Never feel guilty about telling the truth no matter what response comes from unkind and self absorbed individuals.

Ephesians 5:13
"But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,"

There will be those in the church who walk as actors in a play, the persona we see at church is not the real them, but the actor playing a role.

2 Timothy 3:5
"Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."

Seek God, tell the truth and be free!!!!