Secrets

What do you do with the sin in your life?  I don't know about you, but I try to hide it.  I don't want others to know what my sins are.  This thing about transparency and openness is not easy. I mean, if folks knew all about my sin, what would they think of me?  Let's face it head on....we are trying to live our lives as Christ following men, husbands, and fathers right?  And yet we continue to sin, and often in not very obvious ways.  There's those secrets we feel we have to keep to ourselves.

At those times when I focus on the fact that Jesus really does see my sins, even when I don't share them with him and pray over them, and accept the fact that He still loves me more than anyone it becomes clear to me that while He hates the sin, He loves the sinner in me.  It is then that I realize that it is all about spiritual warfare, and that there are things I can do to win that battle:

• I can be transparent about myself with some trusted friends from my small group (after all, we are all in the same boat, and my transparency won't only help me to overcome those things, but it may be the encouragement someone else needs to open up and feel free.
• I can learn that those secrets are far more damaging to my spiritual growth when kept as secrets and not dealt with.
• It helps me to realize, once again, the full depth of God's love for me and the bounty of His unfathomable grace.

What secrets are standing in the way of your spiritual growth?  How are those secrets preventing you from being the best man, husband and father that you can be?