If Were Honest

There are few vices that plague us like the desire to hide does. There is something so human, so sinful, in our desire to never truly be known by another. We are content to present our spouses, our friends, and our families with a version of ourselves that is so perfected that they believe us far more righteous than we are. 

But God says, There is none righteous. 

Not even one.

(Romans 3:10)

That means me. That means you. That means all of us. But we forget. We forget that we can't do a single good thing apart from the grace and mercy of our God. We forget that no one can.

I, for one, am tired. I am tired of trying to look far better than I am. I am tired of looking at others and wondering how they can have it all together when I can't make it past 8 am without crying out to God because I am struggling with my attitude, my desires, my perspective, my [insert 100 other struggles here]…

I want to be free. I want to be free to share my struggles before my Lord and free to trust that He already knows them all. I want to remember that He is waiting for me. He will meet me there. Psalm 139: 1-4 says:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

    you discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down

    and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

What would happen if we lived the way God designed us to live?  What would happen if we started to love each other with “a sincere brotherly love, earnestly and from a pure heart  (I Peter 1:22)? What if we shared our struggles with each other moment by moment and were met with earnest love, unity of mind, sympathy,  and love? 

I think we would be surprised to know that others are struggling too. I think we would be surprised to know that when we operate in God’s design for us as a NEW creation, we will find healing. James 5:13-16 says:

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? 

Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick?

 Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Oh Lord, help me to be honest. Help me to be transparent with the friends and family you have blessed me with. Help me to live alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ in the way you designed. Help me when I try to hide my sin from their eyes. Help me run to them when I struggle. Help me run to you. Set me free from my own desire for perfectionism. Help me never to be comfortable in my sin. Help me to be a better friend, mother, and wife. Make me honest.