Luke 8:17 (CEV)
17 There is nothing hidden that will not be found. There is no secret that will not be well known.
No Secrets
Have you ever played hide and seek with a toddler?
Or been friends with that one person who, try as they might, could never keep a secret about what they had gotten you for Christmas?
Have you ever wanted – or needed – to find something so badly that you were willing to stop everything else you were doing until you found it?
Have you ever had a secret that you wished someone would find out about because it was killing you to keep it inside?
Have you ever had a secret that you hoped against hope that no one would ever find out about it?
Have you ever discovered that you were keeping something a secret from yourself? That there was a truth about who you were or what life had been like that you weren’t letting on?
There’s this idea throughout scripture that there are things that are hidden – secrets buried deep inside of our brokenness – that will one day become known. There’s this idea that when we come to know the truth, that truth will set us free. I think sometimes, though, that freedom comes at a pretty high cost. The ‘reveal’ can be a painful process. To me this parable is just a little bit of the story. It’s about the hard, painful part.
‘Reveal my secrets – no way!’
‘Show me the truth about that story I’ve been telling – I’d rather not!’
‘Trade in my version of events for an understanding of the other person – not for a million dollars!!’
Yet somehow this is good news. Somehow regardless of whether the truth is that we were wrong or we were right, knowing the truth allows us to move closer to being the people we were made to be. Somehow seeing the truth allows us to come back into alignment with ourselves, others and God. Somehow acknowledging the truth gives us the supernatural capacity to write a new, better truth for our lives.Journal Questions:
- Take some time today to wrestle with this parable?
- What comes to mind when you read these words?
- Where is the ‘good news’ in this parable?
- How does this apply to you today?
- What will you do with this?
