Day 2676 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Proverbs 28:13 NIV

We humans like to think we're pretty smart. We can come up with all sorts of ways to avoid things that may be uncomfortable or inconvenient. We can craft witty excuses to help us ignore problems and pretend things are alright. But in all of our "wisdom" we've managed to learn to handle the idea of guilt completely wrong. We've decided that it's just better to pretend we've not done anything wrong than to face the crushing humility of admitting the truth.

People love this illusion of innocence. They think that it makes them better people to pretend they have no flaws or faults. They've gotten it in their minds that painting on this picture of perfection to hide their shortcomings is more important than simply addressing those issues and moving on. There's no problem that we can't ignore if we try hard enough! So people just keep trying. They just keep lying to themselves and to the world around them so that nobody has to think less of them.

Why admit our guilt when we can just pretend we're not guilty? Same result, just less humiliating. Same outcome, just not as embarrassing. We get to walk around proud of ourselves and acting like we're better than we really are so that everyone thinks we're better than we are, and they do the same thing as well, so we're all just living these comfy lies and nobody really knows anything about anyone else because the truth is messy and we don't want people to see the real us.

There's one huge problem with that silliness though, and that's that God knows the real us. He knows our weaknesses. He's seen our mistakes. He knows our struggles. He knows how we have a tendency to cave under the weight of temptation. He knows we've sinned because He's the one who defines sin, and so He knows every single time that we've shattered one of His expectations and chosen to cater to our selfish desires instead. So what exactly are we hiding? What are we accomplishing by pretending that we're not guilty?

We've gotten it in our minds that if we can manage to conceal our mistakes then nobody will ever know and we'll never have to ask for forgiveness because if nobody knows we've done anything wrong then there's nothing to forgive. Right? Well you see, it's nonsense. It's comfortable. It's easy. It helps us avoid the difficulty of repentance and the sting of admitting that we're not these perfect little angels that we've tried so hard for so long to make ourselves out to be. We're doing nothing but painting a lovely picture over the top of an utter disaster and hoping that nobody notices what's really underneath.

But why not just fix the problem? Doesn't it actually end up taking more time and focus and effort to continue ignoring it and covering it up? Isn't it harder to wake up every day having to paint another pretty lie than to just face the truth that lets us put those paintbrushes down forever?

I know that we all prefer the ease of pretending we're okay and that we've never made a mistake, but the truth is that we have. And the longer we run from that truth, the longer we have to remember to keep it covered up. The longer we keep it under the rug, the longer we live in fear of that rug getting moved and someone noticing what’s hidden under it. It's all just this foolish game of avoiding what we need to do so that we can do what's easier and more comfortable instead.

Friends, as I said up top, we've gotten this whole idea completely wrong. We don't find freedom by pretending we're free. We don't find healing by pretending we're not hurt. We don't find mercy by pretending we don't need it. That's what this verse is telling us. Whoever tries to hide their failures finds nothing but the ongoing need to keep them covered. But whoever admits their guilt finds forgiveness. We can only find help when we admit we need help, otherwise we'll just stay right where we are with all the baggage we have still weighing us down.

God is a merciful and loving God, and as we've talked about, He is willing to forgive our sins. But we have to admit that we've made them. He can help us clean our lives up and put things back together, but only when we find the strength to admit that we've torn them apart by chasing sin and playing in the dark. And that's maybe the biggest thing that I hope you take away from today's post. True strength isn't found in pretending you're better than you really are. Strength is found in admitting you're weak and imperfect but that you're adamant to improve.

Friends, don't live your life like you're some invincible superhero who has never made a mistake. Telling the world that we're flawless isn't what makes us strong. What makes us strong is being able to tell the world that we're seriously messed up but have a God who loves us anyway and that with His help we're working toward something better. Don't miss out on the chance to improve because you've fallen for your own lie that tells you that you don't need to improve. Again, we can only find God's mercy when we allow our hearts to admit we need it.

As we’ve mentioned a couple of times here recently, God already knows. Every hurt. Every flaw. Every sin. Every failure. We gain nothing by covering them up, because in reality, we can’t cover them up. So why waste our lives trying to hide what He already knows when we could simply admit it and find the healing that He offers? Problems never go away by simply pretending they’re not there. They go away when we fix them. And the amazing thing is that God is ready and more than able to help fix what we’ve broken. But He can only do so when we find the courage to face our guilt and throw ourselves upon His kindness.

The simple fact is that all of us are guilty and all of us need forgiveness. Now we can spend our lives trying to outrun that truth only to have to face when these lives are finished, or we can swallow our pride, bite the bullet, and lay it all out there knowing that in doing so we’ll find the mercy we so desperately need. Don’t put it off my friends. We may avoid some shame, but we’ll also avoid the healing that shame often brings.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold