owning the naked truth

What are the mantras you use to insulate you from the truths you need to experience? How might you change the script today?

Jeremiah 7:4

Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of God, the temple of God, the temple of God.’

Jeremiah is calling out the ways in which the Israelites are deceiving themselves, believing they are protected by God simply by being in the temple of God, ignoring the relational needs in their midst.

It's striking that he repeats the self-deception three times in his admonition.

It has the same repetition as the ways in which I lied to myself to keep myself in an addictive loop, “It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad.”

I would find ways to prove this to myself with outside comparisons. And I was always able to find someone a bit worse off than me that made this self-deception seem true.

Recovery started with awareness that this self-deception was keeping me entrenched in isolating behavior. 

The antidote ended up being the repetition of my most naked truth: “I need help. I need help. I need help.”

Are there any self-deceptive phrases that are running through your mind, causing isolation? What is a truth that can replace these words?  

—Dax Franklin-Hicks