How I Found Freedom? When I Finally Told the Truth

There’s a kind of prison that doesn’t need bars or chains. I’ve lived in it before. Smiled through it. Preached through it. Worked through it. And if I’m being honest, I didn’t always know I was locked up—I just knew something wasn’t right.

For years, I thought I was walking in freedom because I wasn’t doing what I used to do. I was no longer in the places I used to be. But what about the weight I was still carrying in private? The pain I never said out loud? The shame I never named? Freedom isn’t just about walking out of something—it’s about healing from what followed you out.

Emotional honesty is messy. It forces you to admit things you’d rather forget—like how bitter you still are toward that person who walked away without an apology. Or how you still feel like a failure even though everybody claps when you speak. Emotional honesty says: I’m not okay right now. And that’s hard to say when you’ve been everyone’s strength.

But Scripture never told us to fake strength. It told us to cast our cares. It told us to confess. It told us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds—not by pretending our minds don’t need healing.

Jesus asked the man at the pool in John 5, “Do you want to get well?” That question has stuck with me for years. Because sometimes we want to be seen as whole more than we want to be whole. But real healing can’t start until we admit something’s broken.

There was a season in my life when I was showing up everywhere—but I was checked out inside. I smiled through ministry. Coached teams. Managed responsibilities. But behind closed doors, I was grieving things I had never talked about. A silent storm I hadn’t named yet. And silence is a tricky thing. You think it’s strength, but sometimes it’s just fear in disguise.

I had to get honest. With myself. With God. And with a few trusted people who could handle the weight of my truth without rushing me to fix it. That’s when the chains started breaking. Not overnight. But moment by moment—as I stopped running from my pain and started inviting God into it.

Freedom starts with confession—not just of sin, but of sadness. Of trauma. Of disappointment. The Bible says, “The truth will make you free” (John 8:32). But the truth can’t free you if you keep hiding it under a polished testimony.

Here’s what I know now:

• God can’t heal who you pretend to be.
• There is no spiritual maturity without emotional honesty.
• And nothing changes until something gets confronted.

If you’ve been stuck, it’s not always because of external bondage. Sometimes it’s the internal battles—the things you’ve been avoiding—that are holding you hostage. But here’s the good news: God isn’t afraid of your honesty. He invites it. He’s the safest place you’ll ever bleed.

You were never meant to carry what Christ already died to free you from. So tell the truth. Cry the tears. Admit the anger. Lay it all down. That’s how freedom starts.

Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr.

District Elder & Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr. is a seasoned IT Accounts Manager and spiritual leader who bridges technology and faith to drive innovation in schools, churches, and communities. With certifications in ITIL, Google Workspace, AI, and church administration, he empowers organizations to thrive through strategic tech integration and leadership.

Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr.

District Elder & Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr. is a seasoned IT Accounts Manager and spiritual leader who bridges technology and faith to drive innovation in schools, churches, and communities. With certifications in ITIL, Google Workspace, AI, and church administration, he empowers organizations to thrive through strategic tech integration and leadership.