I RECENTLY had an interesting talk with a friend of mine about the amount of lies that are told in romantic relationships — lies about children out of wedlock, lies about affairs and people’s whereabouts in order to hide their rendez-vous, lies about money … the list could continue endlessly. The question to ask is why do people feel the need to lie. The obvious answer is that they are afraid of the repercussions of the truth. Oh, people can hide it with various justifications. “I want to protect my children. I want to protect my spouse. I don’t want to embarrass my family…” I still believe that at the root of it is fear of what would happen if the truth came out. Without a secure identity, the temptation is to live a lie which you feel will portray you in the best light. Ashley Thaba Darkness and intentional deception become the default choice. In the wake of choosing to live in the shadows of deception, I feel it must weigh heavily on the person’s heart. Pretending gets taxing after a while when you so deeply want to take the mask off and just be seen for who you are, but you are so scared to do so. Deep down, they know what they are doing is wrong and they can’t tell. Every act of love is questioned because the person must ask “Would they still love me if they knew the secret I was hiding?” In the case of a child being raised without knowing the true identity of their father for fear of exposing an illicit affair, the mother must feel guilt wondering if she is making the right choice by covering up what she now sees as an irresponsible choice. What does the Bible say about this? John 8:32 says that the Truth shall set you free. 1 John 1 lets us know that if any of us claim to be without sin, we lie and the truth is not in us. It goes on to say that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. Galatians 5:1 tells us it is for freedom that Christ died for us. John 3 assures us Jesus didn’t come to condemn us but to save us. Romans 5:8 reaffirms this truth when it says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Here are the key points I want you to hear. God knows you are not perfect! He loves you anyway! And the number one gift He wants to give you — freedom. Freedom to walk in light. Freedom to leave the deeds that later make you ashamed. Freedom to speak truthfully and live a life you are proud of. Freedom to be loved and freedom to love others. You don’t need to pretend any longer. A saviour awaits to walk you through to a life of peace and acceptance if you will just boldly and bravely take that step out of darkness and into the light. Romans 8:1 promises there is no condemnation in Christ! I can’t guarantee your spouse will forgive you, but I can promise 100% if you courageously own your mistake and come into the light to confess it and repent of it that your Heavenly Father is faithful and just to forgive your sin. You have two choices. You can continue to live a lie and live under the guilt of dishonesty or you can come clean. The spouse might leave you if you come clean, bu