safe with me (your secret is)

we all have our secrets, our skeletons in the closet... no one is free from this phenomenon.

some of us feel that ours are more dramatic than others, but i think that it's all relative.  is any secret worse than another?  well, that's not really for me to say, i guess, but what really is pretty terrible is the fearful power that secrets have over us.  why are we afraid of our past actions and thoughts?  why do we allow them to control us?  or the people that know them?

what is a secret, after all?  the dictionary defines a secret as: something that is, or is kept secret, hidden, or concealed.

really a secret is just knowledge.  knowledge of something that we wish was not true (why would we be afraid of something that we are not ashamed of?)  but it is true, so, what's the deal?  why do we allow this fear, fear of something that we cannot change because it is in the past, control what we do in the present and the future?

"secrets, secrets, are no fun, secrets, secrets, hurt someone."  a lil' playground knowledge that hits pretty close to home, but the thing that they don't tell you is that those secrets usually hurt you more than they hurt anyone else.  fear can do funny things to people.

so what's your deep, dark secret?

some of you know my secrets and i know some of yours...  i don't think it needs to be said, but i'll say it anyway - your secret is safe with me.  i know all too well the destruction and utter havoc that a secret can wreak on your soul, and i have no desire to add to your burden and heartache.

i will say this though, that rarely are our secrets as bad as they seem to us... that lie that Satan tells us, that we will be hated if anyone ever finds out, that we are disgusting and we must keep this knowledge hidden away at all costs.  forgiveness cannot be given if truth and transparency are not present.  it's a pretty good trick too, for the devil to have us wrapped around his little finger in constant fear, instead of living as redeemed, peace-filled children of God.

1 John 4:18  "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment..."

a secret is like a wound - if the wound is covered, not exposed to air or not cleaned properly it will fester, an infection will begin and eventually can take over.  however, if the wound is cleaned, and cared for, it will still be painful, but it will heal.  the scar will be a reminder, but it will also give us a chance to share our story and God's victory in our lives with others who have experienced similar pain.

i'm no dummy, i realize that in real life, revealing secrets can be messy and painful, but i can speak from personal experience that it is absolutely worth it.  my hope for you is that you are able to live a life fully in the freedom and peace that Jesus has brought and paid for.  a life without fear...