You're only as sick as your secrets

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5–10)
 
Many of you who are reading these words carry within you a secret. There is something you have done, something you are struggling with, or something that you believe that nobody knows about. You fear that if you were to bring it to the light, you would be judged or rejected or laughed at. And so, it stays hidden, buried far beneath the light of day.
There is a saying in recovery circles that “we’re only as sick as our secrets.” This adage is an acknowledgement that there is an unhealthy power attached to our secrets that causes negative emotions such as fear, self-loathing, and shame to grow inside of us. And relationally, our secrets cause us to hide, deceive others, and pretend to be something that we are not.

There is a better way. In 1 John 1, John tells us that we have the choice to either walk in the darkness, or to walk in the light. According to verse 8, the first step to walking in the light is to confess whatever it is that we are hiding. The amazing promise of this passage is that our God meets our confession with not only forgiveness, but with purification, as our guilt is atoned for by Jesus’ death on our behalf, and our shame is replaced with the adopting and healing love of the Father. And, according to verse 7, our confession also leads to fellowship with one another, as we put away deception and begin to walk in honesty.

The truth is that when you bring your secrets into the light with a trusted friend, pastor, or counselor, most of the time they will not think less of you, but more of you. If they love you, then they will feel honored that you entrusted them with your secret, and they will be happy to pray for you, listen to you, and, if necessary, hold you accountable to walking in the light moving forward.

Make the decision today not to walk in the darkness any more, carrying a secret that is only making you sick and negatively impacting your relationships with others. Step into the light through confession, and receive the forgiving and purifying love and grace of God.