Luke 8:17 “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”

This verse, taken seriously, is terrifying to some people. A lot of people act like it isn’t true, or was never said in the first place. However, you can’t change God’s word like that! The impulse to hide goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve tried to hide from God because they knew they had disobeyed Him. The same reaction can be seen in children today! However, denial never brings resolution and absolution. Many people realize that keeping secrets wears you out, but many others haven’t come to that point yet. There are numerous benefits to a policy of absolute honesty! That doesn’t mean we are to be letting everything hang out. That can cause needless hurt. However, the fear of being found out can be absolutely paralyzing, and the best defense is being up front about it in the first place. God of course knows everything, so trying to hide something from Him is totally futile, but hiding things from one another is, in the final analysis, futile and damaging as well. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with surprise presents and the like, because the intent there is specifically temporary. What Jesus is addressing, and what we must acknowledge, is the impulse to appear as something other than what we are, to avoid taking responsibility for our actions.

This is an important consideration in every person’s life, and I am no exception. I’ve only had a few experiences at trying to keep dark secrets about myself, but those were enough to teach me that it is poisonous. We are created for intimacy with God, and on a lesser level with one another, and that requires openness. I need to stay open and frank with God, of course, but also with the people close to me. I am not to nurse hidden wounds, for example, but bring them first to God, choose to forgive, and then approach the person who wounded me, if that is called for to prevent further problems. I have hurt others unintentionally, and when they have let me know it, I have done my best to mend my ways. However, when they have nursed their wounds in secret, they and our relationship have been poisoned. This is a major issue in pastoral ministry. It isn’t very easy to deal with even when I am not involved in the original incident, but it is difficult indeed when I am one of the primary parties. I need to do all I can, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to foster an attitude of openness in this church, so that the inevitable hurts may be dealt with promptly and not allowed to fester, and people may have practical training in forgiveness, for the health and blessing of everyone.

Father, thank You for my father and His policy of absolute honesty. I am greatly blessed to have been raised in such an environment. I ask for wisdom and grace in ministering to people who were raised to be closed about their feelings and many other things. May Your light shine in all our hearts, so that when areas needing repentance or forgiveness are exposed, we may be quick in our obedience, allowing Your love to flow over, among, and through us, building the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!