No More Lies

 For 58 years, I lived behind a wall of lies. Every time someone asked, “How are you?” I’d paste on a smile and say, “I’m fine” – the biggest lie of all. The truth was, I was drowning in trauma from years of abuse, first from my parent and then from my ex-husband, who banned me from finding support and dismissed my faith as “junk.”

PTSD became my constant companion, but I kept burying the pain deeper, adding more lies to the pile. Then, one day, I couldn’t bear the weight of deception anymore. I made a decision: no more lies. I started attending Eastside Church and found a support group. For the first time in decades, I was being honest with myself about what I needed to heal.

Finally, I had a safe space to peel away the layers of lies I’d wrapped around myself like protective armor. Each session was like peeling an onion – sometimes painful, always revealing another truth that needed addressing. Whether it was confronting old resentments or facing buried trauma, I learned to stop right there and pray, letting God help me release the painful truths I’d hidden for so long.

The lies that once suffocated me – that I wasn’t enough, deserved the abuse, that I had to face everything alone, that I would never heal, I’ll never be accepted – have been replaced with God’s truths. Healing isn’t overnight, but it’s worth everything to live in truth.

We’re all hurting in some way, grappling with depression, anxiety, shame, or thoughts of self-harm. But we don’t have to hide behind lies anymore. Care Groups at Eastside are a place where we can share our authentic stories, be truly heard, and learn to connect with God. Through His help, I don’t have to repeat the past or live in lies any more. The truth has set me free.