Living a life under cover brings us darkness and despair,
Mercy comes by exposure to the light!
Scripture for today: Proverbs 28:13
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”
I always found the game of hide and seek a bit awkward when I was younger. It seems like a harmless game for most kids…I mean what’s not to like? Someone runs off and hides, while someone covers their eyes and counts to ten. But then the person hiding begins to panic a little inside as they are being searched for…one step at a time. Hearts beat faster, sweat begins to drip as the “hider” awaits the ultimate moment of being discovered. I remember hiding and thinking, “I cannot wait for this to be over!!” The feeling I had inside was not one of excitement if I admit it. Although I was a bit of a risk taker in my younger days, I never liked being snuck up on and I always screamed out in surprise when I would be found. Why was I so surprised? The game after all was called HIDE AND SEEK. It was always so freeing when I got out of my hiding place.
When I read this verse and reflect on what it looks like to ‘conceal my sin’, it is another one of those moments that feels a lot like my old hiding places. The cover up stories I tell to make what I am doing seem ok. The times when I pretend all is ok with the words I chose or the actions I took. If I try hard enough I can almost make my sin look like someone else’s fault. At the very least it is justified. Overlooking my own mishaps is easy, but I’m not that good at overlooking someone else’s. Getting called out on the things we do that fall under sin is awkward, hard, surprising sometimes and other times downright embarrassing. How do we prevent the sin from continuing? How do we stop? When does the hiding become more than we can handle.
We are called to confess. And Mercy comes next.
Confessing my sin to God is my way out of the secret keeping; out of those darkness dwelling places. We all have them. When I make the decision to acknowledge my part then I give God an opening to be who He says He is. The Lord of my life. The giver of all good things. The forgiver of my sins. The Merciful Father.
He is always fair and just to forgive me when I confess with my mouth and turn away from those behaviors that send me hiding. Today I rejoice that I have been given freedom from the hiding places that hold me captive. You have also. There is joy in the morning after repentance. Let’s learn from our mistakes, from our past that has kept us in hiding. We don’t have to live in the dark. Mercy Awaits you today.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture references: Romans 10:9, 1 John 1:9, James 5:16
