“See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
– Luke 11:35, 36
We’ve been talking a lot about the discipline of secrecy and how it deepens our walk with God. Today, I want to sum up our discussion by giving you two practical steps you can take to employ the power of secrecy in your own life and in your relationships, both with Jesus and others. First of all, do something really great for someone else and keep it a secret. If you’ve never done this before, I encourage you give it a try. Give a gift to a friend or a stranger, serve in some capacity, or volunteer for a day, but don’t tell anyone — take it to your grave. When you do good for another person or for humanity and you keep it a secret, it strengthens your soul. I challenge you to try it and then pay attention to how tempted you are to want somebody to “accidentally” find out about what you did. When you let go of your desire for attention, your soul grows closer to Jesus and you learn what it means to walk by faith, as you allow Him to be your rewarder. He is proud of you and He will take the good that you’ve done and bring about a harvest far greater than anything you could have imagined! Secondly, after you move a few good things in your life (like prayer and giving) to a secret place, I encourage you to bring some things out. Make it a point to be vulnerable with with your close friends or at least one or two people you trust. Share your doubts, fears, struggles, and pain, and let your guard down, evening weeping if you need to. I promise you that moving these parts from secrecy to relationship will free you and allow you to pursue the reward-giver, Jesus, with even greater abandon! Friend, God sees all of you, and there is nothing hidden from Him! He knows your strong and weak points, so stop trying to impress Him with your goodness and repel Him with your “badness.” Allow Jesus to penetrate your heart and bring His light to your past, present and future. He has you in His Hand and He will never take away your purpose or destiny. He has turned His mind, face, and heart towards you and has received you with joy! Isn’t that wonderful news? |
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for giving me faith and courage to do good deeds in private and to bring my struggles into the light of relationship.
Reflection
Which is harder for you, keeping your good deeds to yourself or sharing your struggles with others?
