Secret Places
I was talking with a friend today, who shares a love of reading.
We tend to like the same kinds of books--books that challenge us and make us think about things in new ways--so I'm always interested in what he's reading and often go out and buy that book because I know I'll love it.
So what he's reading now is, A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne. The conversation got around to books because we were talking about sin and the fact that we are all capable of self deception and sin. The writer of this book, he said, talked about how sin grows in secret places, like fungus in the dark and damp.
He continued to share how the author spoke of the inadequacy of accountability groups because you can lie to them. He said he tries instead, to live as much of his life as possible, out in open places where he can be seen, because for him, that is safety.
I thing there's much wisdom in those words. In some ways I've done that in some blog posts--being as transparent as I could be, or dared to be, about my own struggles--although the writer didn't mean "being out in the open" quite in that way. For me there is safety in being frank. I know that I have a community of friends who know me for better or worse.
The community of faith is meant to support and encourage other members towards greater closeness to God.
So while I can keep a secret if I have to, I try not to keep too many--for my own sake and that of others!
Psalm 143:6-8 (New International Version)
6 I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
We tend to like the same kinds of books--books that challenge us and make us think about things in new ways--so I'm always interested in what he's reading and often go out and buy that book because I know I'll love it.
So what he's reading now is, A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne. The conversation got around to books because we were talking about sin and the fact that we are all capable of self deception and sin. The writer of this book, he said, talked about how sin grows in secret places, like fungus in the dark and damp.
He continued to share how the author spoke of the inadequacy of accountability groups because you can lie to them. He said he tries instead, to live as much of his life as possible, out in open places where he can be seen, because for him, that is safety.
I thing there's much wisdom in those words. In some ways I've done that in some blog posts--being as transparent as I could be, or dared to be, about my own struggles--although the writer didn't mean "being out in the open" quite in that way. For me there is safety in being frank. I know that I have a community of friends who know me for better or worse.
The community of faith is meant to support and encourage other members towards greater closeness to God.
So while I can keep a secret if I have to, I try not to keep too many--for my own sake and that of others!
Psalm 143:6-8 (New International Version)
6 I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
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