Day 3137 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Proverbs 28:13 NIV

It’s like we’re in a world hiding from hope.

Because many find it foolish to lay one's transgressions upon the wide open for all to see as they stand as evidence of our imperfections.

And it's those imperfections which we know will immediately undermine the image we've fought to set forth for all the world to see. We've sold such a yarn that we can't bear the burden of backtracking back to the truth of the matter, so we hide from it. We’ve built ourselves into the constant hero, so to prove ourselves only the villain erases everything we've tried to gain, so we pretend we’re not the bad guy.

That's why most find our faith to be foolishness. It doesn't merely stop at politely requesting our honesty. Doesn't cease its demand at the demand of our confession. Doesn't only ask that we consider making that confession. No, this faith simply cannot work until we've truly died to all we've been living for in this wasted life trying to prove ourselves perfect in the eyes of those we've always thought to care but who never really did.

All of our lives have been lived in accordance with the ways of the world as it's the world to which we've grown up learning must be pleased and appeased with our performance and projection of perfection. We've bought this idea that this great big world must know what it's doing as they sell this image of always doing it well, and well, then we may as well follow along doing as everyone else does so we'll find that same success for ourselves.

And thus we've learned to deny our failures so fervently that we've no course but to retain them so we remember to hide them. We've learned to conceal our many sins and shortcomings so that we'll always be able to deny them. After all, we have to cling to what we’ve done so that we too can cling to the stories we've made up that we think convince others we've not done anything wrong even though we know we have.

It's this insanely vicious cycle of selfish denial that demands we stay lost all for the arrogant opportunity to tell others that we're not. So we’ve allowed ourselves to hide from hope as we think we have to stay hidden, unwilling to be anything but unaware that all we’re hiding from is the healing we need and the hope He brings. We just keep running away thinking we’re running toward when all we’re doing is losing all we could be gaining because we think we’ve still something to lose.

See, this world sees more to be gained in the holding of sins so close that we think nobody can see them beneath the masquerade we're performing upon the surface. They believe that the ultimate loss therefore is the peeling away of the many layers of lies concocted in order to keep their imperfections concealed. Yes, the world tells us that it's better to stay broken whilst pretending to be whole than to endure the embarrassment of admitting we're not whole which precedes the healing we know we need.

And thus they think us foolish for bearing our sins out in the open through the good confessions we make which make us look bad to those only pretending to be good.

That's the gain in this worldly way of doing things. It's all about appearance. It's vanity personified. It's a sullied soul stuck in this superficiality that stymies true success. We've settled for an image of success, a perfected presentation hiding the imperfections not so easily hidden underneath. And the only possible gain in that performance is the convincing of others that we're all we all know none of us can truly be.

We can't be perfect because our pasts effortlessly prove as much. Every mistake we make is evidence we can't overturn. Each sin is a stain regardless of whether we look at it or not. It's there, and since they tarnish our souls locked inside, inside they stay until out they come. And that's what presents the problem for us vile creatures of vanity. We don't want to admit we're messed up because we've been telling folks otherwise for so long that letting go that farce is a grave loss in our eyes.

And if there's one thing we've all been convinced to agree upon, it's that any loss is simply unacceptable because there's a lie out there somewhere that could make it seem unnecessary.

Look at the cross. This world sees death as loss. It's the ending of a life which could have otherwise continued onward in enjoyment of whatever is only enjoyed whilst living. Death is indeed the ultimate loss as it's the undeniable end of everything we're living for. And so people look at the cross, an image foundational to our faith, and they see only loss. And since to lose is to be a loser, to willingly embrace Christ's call to come and share in that image we see is to welcome the title 'loser'.

Fool. Moron. Idiot.

That's what we talked about yesterday. The world truly believes us foolish for following this narrow path which isn't merely limiting and demanding of self-control but also a path which begins with the necessary death of the way of life we've lived. Seems insane. To willingly walk into a tomb via the acceptance of an invitation to admit we're broken, dirty, horrid scoundrels who deserve the death we see taken upon the cross is simply outlandish to all who think they've still something to gain in this life while all the time pretending they’ve nothing to lose.

Yes, the world honestly believes they've something to gain in clinging to a way of life that undoubtedly ends. Yet I'm to believe that my outlook on eternity is errant? No, no I'm afraid I can't agree with that. In fact, I can't even agree to ignore the dangerous insanity of that.

Because as an idiot in the eyes of the world, I find myself no longer willing to avoid saying what I honestly believe, because I'm no longer concerned with what anyone may think of me. And so, should I say something they don't like, what have I to lose? Considering they don't like me anyway, I figure I may as well speak the truth regardless of how it may gall those who don't like it simply because they've chosen to not understand it.

So to any who think me a fool for believing in an eternity of endless peace opened unto me only upon my agreeing that I'm wholly imperfect and therefore deserving of a greater suffering than that witnessed upon the cross this place thinks is foolish, because I truly know I am, try this one on and see how it fits:

Only a true fool believes there prosperity in holding onto that which will be taken away. Because the only real way to profit anything is to let go of that which we cannot hold in order to take hold of that which we should not have. If you truly believe that the entirety of life is confined into 70-80 years best spent however you see fit, that's fine. If I'm a fool for disagreeing, I think that's okay too.

It's up for each of us to decide both the kind of foolishness we allow into our lives as well as the measure of that foolishness we'll agree to embrace and the length of that winding road that we’ll agree to follow.

Because I see nothing to gain in continuing to live life hoping only to have fun before I die. To me that seems empty, hollow, hopeless, entirely too selfish to ever possibly be legitimately the true meaning of life. Because it's only trying to hold onto something that death says we cannot keep. To me that's foolish.

But to let go of a life I can't hold onto forever in exchange for the chance to take hold of a promise I shouldn't even have the ability to imagine instantly removed the limits of life that everyone else has settled for accepting. Because to let go of my sins, to confess them, to renounce them, to learn from them to me isn't a loss. It's gain.

What do I gain from letting go this falsehood telling the world that I'm perfect? What do I profit by admitting my many faults and failures? What could any possibly gain from admitting they've lived a life that deserves only death?

Forgiveness. Can't gain that if we can't agree that we need it.

Indeed, we gain nothing by keeping hold our sins. We profit nothing by remaining in a way of living that demands we keep pretending. There is nothing to be gained in keeping hidden the secrets we know we've not kept hidden. Because even if the whole world doesn't know what we've done, we do. And because we do, what do we gain by holding onto the realization that we've made those mistakes?

But should we confess them, we take back the power they've held over us which kept us in hiding. If we agree to learn from those mistakes rather than just pretending we didn't make them, we gain the opportunity to make changes that make us better able to live better lives. If we go through the grating process of seeking out our guilt, we gain grace through the ability to finally see that He's given it to such a people as us.

We find forgiveness has been given. We discover the hope of Heaven. In fact, we find the message of the cross isn’t about a life lost but a forever found. And to me that's not so foolish after all.

But sadly many still think it is because they still remain stuck seeing death as the end and therefore the cross as unwelcome. Because we don't want to die. Don't want to lose. Don't want to have to do anything we've been told we never have to do. But that's the gravity of life, we will do what life demands at one point or another.

All of us will lose. All of us will mess up. All of us will fall short. But following up those failures with looking for ways to pretend we didn't make them leaves us gaining nothing but deception and dishonesty and a deeper descending into the darkened shadows we think help us hide from the truth. I can't agree that letting my failures end with them remaining a failure I try to hide be the end of the story.

Because we can grow. We can heal. We can change. It hurts sometimes, our pride mostly. But to allow our pride to be the spiritual death of us is in my opinion the most foolish thing we can do. Because it doesn't have to be done. We don't have to live that way, always hiding something, always worried someone will find out about something, always looking over our shoulder and trying to remain convinced that God's not up there looking over us.

I want to live with hope, with peace, with this idea of forgiveness waiting to catch me every time I stumble stupidly over the edge into selfishness. I want that promise of salvation because I know I need it. I know we all do. But I know I can't convince you of that. I can't convince you of the truth of the Gospel. I can't force you to believe beyond yourself and the stories you've told yourself trying to make yourself not seem the true self you are.

All I can do is share the truth that has set and is still setting me free in the hopes that God will take these messages where they need to be heard and that they’ll fall upon open ears willing to try.

Yes, this path asks us to lose. Actually it demands we lose. But He promises that what we gain in letting go is something we couldn't find in holding on. There will always be a greater sense of comfort in keeping things hidden and denying we've done wrong than in admitting we have and letting them be known. It's scary to admit our imperfections in this place that expects perfection.

But just remember that He died for us while we were still lost in our sins so deeply that we agreed to kill Him. He came for us knowing most would never accept Him no matter how loving and kind He proved Himself to be. He did all of that despite us not deserving it.

If you don't want to believe in that hope, that love, that kindness, that healing, that promise, okay. If you want to hold onto your sins so that you don't have to tell the world you've made mistakes, fine. But please think about what it is that you gain in going that direction. What do you profit by holding onto the memories that are so shameful that you keep having to keep them hidden?

And what are you missing by living in hiding? I contend the world is hiding from hope as they hang out in the shadows unable and unwilling to consider the freedom found in walking in the light of truth. They’re only missing out on realizing that they’ve been missing out on all they’ve failed to find in trying to find something that didn’t fail along a path spent raging in the wrong direction.

So again I ask, what do you profit, what can you gain by keeping hold the things that you’re so ashamed of that you have to keep secret? What point is there in a living a way of life that has you running back into the safety of the shadows if you have to flee from freedom to get there? Isn't there more to gain in letting go, if nothing else but that you don’t have to hold on?

I think there is, but maybe I'm just a fool.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold