I've got a secret

Between 1952 and 1967 there was a very popular series on TV called I've Go a Secret.  It was hosted by Garry Moore, and the panel was made up of various celebrities from that era.  The object of the show was that the panel was to ask questions of the guest and then determine what his secret was.  And yes, I watched the show...first on our little screen black and white TV and later on in (gasp) real color.  Now I'm through aging myself.  (Yes, you can find episodes on the web....thank you).

While the original TV show was entertaining, we all play the same game in our real life's....I've got a secret.  Whether we are not yet believers, on the fence, committed to following Christ, or full blown spiritual warriors, chances are that anyone in either of those groups has a secret that no one, as in no one, knows about.  And their secret(s) will be one of a sinful nature, something about them that they know isn't pleasing to God.....such as:

• an anger problem
• some addiction (perhaps gambling, drugs/alcohol, sex, etc)
• a character defect
• pride or ego issues
• gossip, backstabbing
• and more

Some of our secrets are, at times, visible to others.  Some are not.  All are those "little" things about us that we absolutely know exist, that we keep tucked away in a little box away in a corner of our lives.  Most often, we feel that we may have them under control.  More often than not, however, they still have great control over us....and we have trouble letting them go, turning them over the Jesus, and embarking on the difficult journey to rid ourselves of those boxes.

You'll notice that I've refrained from calling those secrets, the ones we keep compartmentalized in their own little boxes, our "dirty little secrets"....a phrase we hear every once in a while (particularly as gossip fodder).  The use of the word "dirty" raises an unnecessary stigma, and, in my opinion, drives the secret deeper underground, and thus makes freeing ourselves of our secrets much more difficult.

If we are ever going to be whole, fully free, and completely transparent, it is imperative that we deal with I've got a secret.  We have to take any steps available to us to free ourselves of the weight we carry by hanging onto that box.  We can't fully walk the walk while we still carry around that little box inside of us....and we will never fully walk the walk as long as we continue to "justify" carrying it around.  Nor will we ever be completely free as long as we continue to listen to those words "it's ok, nobody knows", "no one is going to see you", "just one more time", "it's no big deal", etc.

Garry Moore's show I've Got a Secret was surely more wholesome and fun than my I've got a secret.  What about you?