Untruths

The hardest part of healing
is unlearning all the untruths
you were ever told about yourself.

I still remember one especially wild accusation—
hurtful, but easy to shake off as complete fiction.

But what happens when the untruth sounds
almost believable?

What if it hits on every fear you have ever had?
What if you hear it said every day?
What if the person saying it also says they love you?
What if they say it with such conviction that you start
to doubt yourself?

That’s when it gets dangerous.

You find yourself wondering if they know you
better than you know yourself:

    Maybe you are the awful person they say.
    Maybe everything is your fault.
    Maybe you deserve to be treated this way.

And when you stop trusting yourself?
Well, friend, nothing good comes of that.
It’s death by a thousand cuts.

But here are a few things you need to know:

First, none of this was your fault.
You didn’t invite it.
You didn’t deserve it.
And you didn’t do anything to cause it.

Second, these are sneaky lies.
They wear love’s disguise—
but they are not love.
They never were.

And finally, as unfair as it is,
you are the only one who can
take away their power by:

    relearning your truth.
    using your voice.
    telling your story.

The more you keep coming back home to yourself,
the more you believe in your goodness, in your light,
the more you’ll know what’s real.

And what never was.

Writing Prompt:

What is one untruth you were told about yourself that you’re ready to let go of—and what truth are you choosing to believe instead?