I promised you that we would talk about walking out of denial’s darkness into the light of truth. It’s kind of a paradox, really. We think looking at the truth will bring incredible darkness to our lives, so we avoid the truth. The problem is that the comfort denial brings is an illusion—a fantasy world where true relationships cannot exist. If we stay in denial we will ultimately shut out healthy interdependent relationships with others and we will then become ghostlike, living somewhere on the other side of reality and love, unable to connect with others. Denial for all its seeming comfort is really a very, very lonely place.
So, how do we begin to walk out of denial and into truth and healing? The first thing we must do is to admit our situation is as bad as it is…
Wherever you are on the journey, I want you to be encouraged. If you are aware of the areas of denial in your heart and are actively walking towards truth, you may be hurting, but you are also healing. If you are just beginning to be aware of the denial in your life and are scared to death to walk into the light, know that you are not alone. All of us have experienced that fear to some degree, and we know how difficult it is to be real. We promise to keep encouraging you on the journey.
–Melissa Haas, The Journey: Book One