Are You Hiding?

After Adam and Eve rebelled and disobeyed God, the first thing they did was to cover themselves and hide from the Lord (Genesis 3:7-8). Since then we all hide and cover up the real us. We live behind a veil of secrecy. We pretend to know more than we know. We act like we are better than we are. We present to others only the presentable parts of our lives. It’s in our nature to cover, deny, and fake it with the hope that we might eventually succeed. We conceal our struggles. We cover our inadequacies behind a mask of perfection. We are too proud to admit our defects, too egotistical to acknowledge our shortcomings, and too afraid of rejection. Besides the pride and fear, sadly, we sometimes hide because we find sordid and bizarre pleasure within the shadows. As a result our love of self and our delight in the hiding becomes the fruit of putting our needs and our desires above the needs of others and a desire for God. Is there any value in living a humble and transparent life? Yes, there is. Transparency is humbling but comforting because you find that you are not alone in the struggle. For the record, being transparent with others doesn’t hinder your relationships, it enhances them. Transparency is challenging but as you confess your sins and struggles, great things happen and God begins to heal your soul (Psalm 51:17). Transparency is where your freedom is found. Walking in the light is liberating (1 John 1:5). If transparency is good (and it is) and if we fail at it (and we do), then why hide? Why do we waste so much energy on pretending to be something we are not? Why do we attempt to cover up our physical, emotional, and spiritual illnesses? Are you hiding? Are you covering up? If so, may I suggest “Stop it.” The more we know who we are in Christ and the deeper we understand His unquenchable love for us, the freer we are to admit to one another how puny we are and how great God is. The only way to become the man or woman God wants you to become is to stop hiding, be authentic, and be transparent. It’s worth it. Blessings, Mark "The Bru" Brunott P.S. Bad habits are hard to break- and they’re even harder when we don’t even realize we’ve created a habit out of something. Join us this Sunday at 9:15 or 11:00 as we learn about the danger of one habit that causes us to sin every time: procrastination. Come learn how to beat procrastination before it beats you!