Things in the light have all of, and only, the power they should have.
Things in the dark may have power they don't deserve.
In many church cultures, things are kept secret out of fear. The fear of "what if someone finds out" ends up hiding things that need not be hidden. In fact, when they get out in the open, they become far less threatening. We all know where fear comes from, and it's not the Throne of heaven.
Secrecy is different from privacy. When someone tells you something in confidence, it's private. As a friend of mine says, "It's not your story to tell; it's theirs." Yet sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is encourage them to let it out of the darkness and into the light.
This is one reason journaling and talk therapy are so helpful. The things in our heads, our hearts, our guts... they are scary in there! But as soon as you say them out loud, or write them down, they lose a big chunk of the power they hold over you.
Sometimes shame is keeping things in the dark that need to be aired out, brought to the light.
This is just part of the brilliance of James 5:16: "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Healing comes from confession, from getting things out of the dark and into the light. And this truth transcends confession of sin. (Scripture often transcends it's immediate application!)
In an effort to create a culture of light, the apostle John wrote, "We are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:6-7)
Getting things in the light is how we have fellowship with each other. It's the key to spiritual intimacy.
"Researchers in Britain asked pastors to describe the most common issue they have to address with their parishioners. Seventy-six percent said loneliness and mental health."*
Seventy-six percent.
Seventy-six.
That's three out of every four people sitting in church.
It's time to let the Light do what it was intended to do: push back the darkness and show us the path to victory.
I hope you'll join me in creating a culture of light.
*from The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, by David Brooks
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