“I would rather cry in truth than smile in denial.”
Denial is seductive. It promises ease, harmony, and the illusion of control. Smile, nod, keep the peace. Pretend everything is fine.
But here is the slap: denial is nothing but slow suffocation.
A fake smile might hold the room together, but it tears you apart inside. You carry the weight of unsaid words, unacknowledged pain, and unexpressed needs. You grin on the outside while your Spirit withers on the inside. That is not peace — it is performance.
Truth, on the other hand, is messy. It does not always look pretty. Sometimes it comes with tears, shaking, heartbreak, or silence that feels unbearable. But here is the difference: truth clears, it cleanses, and it sets the ground for something real. A single honest cry does more to heal your body and soul than years of fake smiles ever could.
Because denial robs you of life, but truth — even when it hurts — gives it back. Tears shed in truth are holy. They water the soil of your becoming. They say, “I am done pretending. I am alive, and I am real.”
So no, you do not need another smile to keep up the illusion. You need the courage to cry, to grieve, to feel — and in that rawness, to finally reclaim your freedom.
More Food For Thought:
Where am I still smiling on the outside while dying a little on the inside?
What truth have I avoided because I fear the pain it will bring?
How might honesty — even if it makes me cry — set me free in a way denial never could?
Denial numbs. Truth heals. And sometimes the bravest smile is the one that comes after the tears.
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