“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8–10, ESV)
A few months back there was a love your spouse challenge on Facebook. The challenge was simple. Post a picture of you and your spouse for five consecutive days.
For several weeks my Facebook feed was filled with happy couples, smiles, and kisses. Perfect marriages! Perfect families! Perfect lives! But it was all too much one lady. Danielle Guenther posted:
What is with this whole marriage photo challenge thing going on??? Can we be real here and start seeing some images with people fighting over Netflix or which spouse is taking out the trash? Who's with me(anyone?…anyone???)? That's it, I'm going to start the REAL marriage photo challenge. Share your pics, stories, thoughts. Oh this could be so fun. My husband and I are always arguing in the car over maps and directions. I dislike his driving. Oh that feels so good to get that off my chest : ))
This is an illustration of what John is talking about in our Verse of the Week. We often put forward a persona that is not our true self. We fail to acknowledge our struggles, our shortcomings, and our sin. We keep these hidden in dark secret places.
Acknowledging our the truth about ourselves is important. The first step in any 12 step program is to acknowledge the problem. It is only when we acknowledge the problem that we get the help we need. Many of us have struggles in life because can’t bring ourselves to admit that we have a problem.
Pride and fear hinder us from acknowledging our sin. Pride puffs us up to think that we don’t need help. Fear of shame cause us to be concerned about what others might think when they learn the truth. There is also fear of the consequences. If we come clean, we realize there might be a tremendous price to be paid.
Bringing darkness to light is unpleasant. When you sit in a dark room, and someone turns on the light, it hurts your eyes. But as unpleasant as confessing sin may be, the alternative of continuing to sit in the darkness is more so.
The challenge for us this week is to be real. Come clean. Acknowledge where you need help so that you can receive the help you need. Like Danielle, you will realize how good it feels when you got nothing to hide.
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