Please welcome this guest post by Rachael B. May her words be an encouragement to you to no longer let fear hold you back from building authentic relationships. And remember, encourage her by leaving a comment at the end.
Recently I have been pondering Jesus' words from John 3:21:
"Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."
At the start of my working career, I participated in one of those get-to-know-you games with my coworkers. Someone would shout out a random fact and anyone who that was true of would run to the middle of a circle. One person yelled, "You have a secret that no one knows about." I'm not sure what surprised me more-the amount of people this was true of, or the fact that women in their 50's and 60's have held on to a secret for so many years. What a burden!
As I have come into adult-hood, I now understand why we keep things hidden.
Fear often drives me to put on a mask or cover up something I don't want others to know about. Honestly, it's pretty easy to put up a front. As a young mom, I want to look like I have it all together. When I get together with other moms, it is much easier to talk about our kids, or our outfits, or our lack of sleep. I feel pressure to conform and to be "good enough"-in comparison with other moms-and so I hide things. Truthfully? I feel a deep sense of inadequacy. If I pretend to have it together, I might actually convince myself that I do. Fake it till you make it? 🙂 Unfortunately, this discourages true friendships and leaves us to carry our burdens alone.
Have you ever been so anxious you felt sick to your stomach at the thought of telling someone something you've been hiding?
Perhaps you're crumbling inside with the guilt or shame of your secret. Did you ever share your secret? Did you overcome your fear, or has it (is it?) overcoming you?
In our heads we tell ourselves that no one has it together; we are all inadequate. But we know our innermost thoughts, and God can see how truly broken we are. Yes, He sees all the gunk we so desperately try to hide, and we live in fear and darkness. But what does God say about it? He doesn't tell us to clean up our act, or go to church more, or read our Bible more, or pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and just do a better job. No, He gives us Jesus:
Isaiah 42:5-7
"Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on itand spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the Lord; I have called you [Jesus] in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness."
And Jesus himself says in John 12:46:
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."
Are you in a prison?
Are you in darkness? Do you need to be freed?
Jesus can and will free you.
John 3:17
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
God is calling you into His light.
Maybe you already know these truths, and you are still struggling with fear and the guilt of the secrets that you keep. So what should you do?
Tell someone.
Galatians 6:2 says to "bear one another's burdens". When you allow someone to carry your burden with you, you allow the work of Christ to be done. We are his body, and when we work together we grow up into what Jesus wants us to be.
Rachael B.
photo credit: James Whitesmith via photopin cc
