Shining the Light on Our Darkness

Center City Church
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read

“I have to tell you something.”

We were sitting across from each other in her dorm room; she revealed a secret she had been keeping for a few weeks … something she did that she wasn’t proud of.

A little shocked at first, I sat there as she cried. I reassured her I didn’t see her any differently. I still loved and respected her, and I would support her in any way she needed me to.

In the moment, I thought she was disclosing this information to me because we were close friends. Because she needed my comfort or reassurance, or she needed to verbally process what she had done.

But then — through her tears — she said, “Shame holds you captive when you’re hiding in darkness. That’s why I needed to shine the light on it.”

Her tears were tears of freedom, not despair. She knew she made a wrong decision in the moment, but didn’t want to let that moment hold her captive forever. She knew she had some heart issues to work through, but she was on the road to restoration.

I picture this scene every time I think about confession.

James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

The word that sticks out to me most in this verse is “healed.” Confession is so stinkin’ hard. I don’t want to admit the darkness I’m walking through or the shame I’m carrying! I don’t want people to look at me differently. I don’t want people to know when my life is unraveling. Confession isn’t easy, but it’s crucial to the healing process.

The other part of this verse that gets me is who we’re called to confess to … “each other.” It’s easy for me to talk to God about my issues — He already knows about them all! But when I have to admit my shortcomings to people I care about? Ouch. Pass. Let’s just keep it between me and Jesus, please!

I’m not saying we aren’t supposed to ask God for forgiveness; turning to Him in repentance is a major step in the process of restoration. (Acts 3:19) But that alone isn’t enough. God created us to need each other. (Ephesians 4:16) We weren’t meant to walk through darkness by ourselves here on earth; the Body of Christ is a very important piece of this puzzle, too.

Exposing our sin to each other takes the power away from our sin and transfers it back to God. We’re no longer slaves to our secrets, which means God can use our messes for His glory. He teaches us, and others, through our mistakes when we stop trying so hard to cover them up.

So let’s change our perspective about confession. Is it hard and uncomfortable? Heck yeah. But without it, we keep ourselves from experiencing the unbelievable love and life of freedom God has for us.

What do you need to bring into the light this month?

Written by: Andrea Reeves

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