“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” -1 Samuel 16:7

Let go of your hiding. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. As people of God, when we hide our imperfections and our sins, we create a place that makes it harder for others to talk about their imperfections and their sins. It’s like this: imagine you are in a bad car accident and in the ambulance you get the choice to either have a terrible injury on the outside of your body or on the inside of your body. What would you choose? You’d want it on the outside. Even though it’s a mess, even though you’re getting blood on people’s clothes, even though your clothes are ruined, it’s way less dangerous than the guy who comes in and on the outside nothing’s wrong, but on the inside his organs or is bleeding. That’s how many religious people have become. There are the vulnerable people who almost show too much of themselves, yet they are the ones that are easy to treat and to heal. It’s the people who hide, who pretend like nothing’s wrong that are the ones we need to help. On the outside, they just look a little pale, but on the inside, they’re dying. The only way to heal is to take your wounds, your fears, your anxieties, your burdens, take your sins, take all your regrets and with a close friend and with God — and just say, “this is me.” Then, watch as you’re healed.

PRAYER: Thank you, God, for the making me the way I am. Help me to embrace my flaws, sins, and regrets, and to let them go to you. I want to stop hiding.

REFLECTION: What are some of your flaws that you hide from people?