Honesty

The world likes to hide, and it's unfortunate that even Christians tend to where a mask. We hide our true selves from our co-workers, acquaintances, friends, and even our families. But we can't hide from God. He sees and hears everything. He knows your secret sin, your shame, your pain, and your pride.

Have you ever been told that you're too honest, and that you should keep some things to yourself? I agree that not everyone needs to know every detail about you, and your private life. However, I also believe that you shouldn't keep everything to yourself. There's a certain level of peace that comes with transparency.

Let's talk about sin. We all do it. So why do we hide it? One thing I've learned is that, as a Christian, I can't enjoy sin. At least not the way my unsaved friends, etc can. Sure, I may enjoy it in the moment, and even continue in it for a time. But there's always this overwhelming guilt that accompanies it, and I'm filled with shame.

There are two ways you can go with that.

1.) You can hide your sin, and your shame. Nobody will know besides you and God, and maybe some people who may have been involved or who witnessed it. But what good does that do? Hiding this secret takes work, is hard, and even painful. You may have to lie to cover your tracks...

or

2.) You can be honest. Share your shame. Make your sin known. You may not be the only one struggling, and your honesty may open the door for someone else to cast off their burdens as well. You may even be able to work together to overcome this sin. Being honest will be painful, but the pain will not last nearly as long as if you were hiding.

Don't let fear get in the way of being honest. Often fear is simply pride. We're too proud to show that we're not perfect. We don't want to be looked down on.

Who would you have more respect for? And who would you, if you were not saved, be more willing to listen to and learn from? Someone who never seems to mess up, has everything together all the time, and appears better than everyone else... or someone who admits their mistakes, takes responsibility for their actions, and tries to follow God to the best of their ability, taking it a day at a time.

My sincere belief is that, if we were more honest, our relationships with fellow Christians (and people in general) would be better and more people would be drawn to Christ. They would see that it's okay to mess up as long as you confess it, and move forward.