Those of you who follow me on facebook and twitter know that I am engrosed in the trial of Casey Anthony. It is charged by the prosecution that Casey killed her daughter Caylee because she was in the way of her living the good life. She is said to have drugged her two year old daughter with the knockout drug chloroform and then suffocated her by covering her mouth and nose with duct tape. She then left Caylee in the woods near her house to rot and decompose.
The defense is claiming that Caylee died by drowning in the family pool and her father then went and left her remains in the woods. All throughout this trial we have seen how Casey Anthony told one lie after another and changed her story of what happened several times. She made up the names of people who did not exist to create a story that Caylee was kidnapped by her nanny. She has lied and lied and lied.
During the trial the defense has tried to build case around her lies, but they are just helping the family tell more lies to cover the truth that their daughter is a murderer. It seems to me that this family does not know the truth from a lie. And now that everyone is testifying, they cannot keep all the lies straight. Jesus said,"And if you know the truth...the truth will set you free (John 8:32)."
Most everyone who knows me knows about what I have been through in the last 8 years. Bi-polar disease created in me a delusional thought pattern where I honestly did not know the truth from a lie. My illness had me hearing things that were not said, believing things that didn't happen and perceiving things that were not real. I was in so much pain and despair that my brain invented scenarios to guard me from the pain of realizing the truth about myself and others. This illness cost me my ministry, and it took me several years and several hours of therapy to heal and overcome this world my mind had created. I couldn't tell the delusional world from the real word. And I would do or say anything I had to do to protect my artificial world. I got hurt and others got hurt. It was a horrible period in my life and I am glad that God has given me almost 8 years of healing and recovery.
When I look at this Casey Anthony, I can't help but feel some sympathy for her because she is in a place where I once was. Now, I am not taking her side. I believe that she committed the murder and should be punished. But on Saturday, when her defense filed a motion to declare her incompetent, I was not shocked as many others were. According to her lawyers, she could not aid in her defense. I think that she is incompetent because she is so ill mentally that she cannot discern the truth from a lie. She is in that place where her mind is shielding her from the pain of what she did, by creating a reality that is not there. Fake kidnappings, made up people and one lie after another has created a delusional world in which she is now lost. I really don't think she knows what the truth is.
What bothers me about this is that her lawyers and family are enabling and feeding these delusions by trying to help her cover up her crime. A trial is supposed to uncover the truth, but it has only served to allow a very troubled person to fall deeper and deeper into psychosis. I realize that her attorneys are trying to save her from the death chamber, but in many ways, they are condemning her to a prison of lies where she can continue to live without facing what she has done.
The truth is important, even when it isn't pleasant. As the saying goes, the truth hurts. But the key to becoming truth tellers in our lives is to be surrounded by people who will not allow us to live a lie. In the movie "A Few Good Men," Jack Nicholson blurts out what many people in our world think when he screamed, "You can't handle the truth." The thing is that we have to handle the truth or we will end up like the Casey Anthony's of the world.
Knowing the truth means first and foremost that we must know God. God is truth and in our relationship with him, lies will not cut it. He has a way of helping us to be brutally honest about ourselves. Have you ever lied, when you were praying to God about something? Of course not because you know it would be futile. When you have lied, has your conscience had you second guessing yourself. Of course it has. God will not be part of a lie, so we must take the truth to him or we will get nowhere spiritually. But when we confess our lies to God he understands the pain and weakness that causes us to tell lies and he forgives us. As long as our confession is genuine and heartfelt. So when we admit our lies to God, he will lead us to that healing place.
We all know the truth from a lie even though it is often buried. Giving the lies of our lives to God is the only thing that can make us right. Even if it is to painful to confess to those around us, we must be honest with God. The other thing we must do is seek people in our lives to be truth tellers. We need accountability so we are not allowed to slip into a world of denial and delusion. We must be shown the truth about ourselves even when it is uncomfortable. You are not being a loving friend or family member if you help them to live in a world of lies. Truth telling will strain relationships and cause many to doubt our character, but we come back stronger and the discomfort will pass.
So give it to God and trust others to keep you honest. If you feel like you are still floundering then get help. It is out there. So for all who are in denial about the truth of their lives, start by being honest with God about one issue a day. Share it with those close to you and the experience will begin to set you free. The lies are not as powerful once they come to the surface in prayer and sharing. We can overcome the manufactured artificial worlds we often create when we do these things. The truth will truly set you free.
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