041408

April 14, 2008

The Blessings of Confession

by Shana Schutte

I have a confession. I'm not like Martha Stewart. Sometimes I don't make my bed; I pile ready-to-fold laundry on the couch (which may stay there for several days), and I occasionally stack dirty dishes in the sink. While I have improved leaps and bounds in my housekeeping skills over the years, I still have a lot of work to do before I evolve into Suzie Homemaker. Thankfully, this isn't a problem.

Until one of my girlfriends calls and says, "Hey, I thought I'd stop by. I'm just around the corner."

Then, as soon as I hang up the phone, shame, pride and perfectionism often compel me to run to the bedroom, slam the door tight (to hide my messy bed), shove the clean clothes on the couch onto the closet floor in the bathroom, and find a creative way to conceal the dirty dishes. In minutes, when my friend arrives, I bounce to the front door, put on my Martha-Stewart smile and act like I have it all together.

Only I know I don't.

My friend may not know the truth about my mess, but I do--and because I do, I don't feel completely accepted. After all, we can only feel completely loved when others know about our "mess"--and embrace us anyway.

Last week my friend, Maxine, called to say she was stopping by. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to hide a very large pile of laundry that had spilled from the closet onto the bathroom floor.

When Max asked, "Can I use your bathroom?" I blushed. "Sure," I said. "I'm reeeeaaally sorry about that laundry. I need to fold it."

"Oh girl," she said. "Believe me; I know. Sometimes I'm like a tornado at my place." She wasn't bothered in the least by my mess. Instead, she embraced me anyway.

I felt loved.

In the same way, when we experience honest and transparent relationships with others that involve confession of sin, we have the opportunity to give--and receive--genuine love.

James 5:16 says that confession of sin to others even opens the door to healing.

Are you afraid to confess your sin to others? Does pride, fear or perfectionism prevent you from allowing others to see your "messes?" If you sometimes struggle with letting others in to show them the truth about who you are, I invite you to take a baby step toward being more transparent with a trusted friend.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

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