Nothing to Hide

I received a letter from a friend recently. Her sad words caused me to reflect, and as I did, I remembered something I wrote a long time ago. Did a search on my computer and here it is. Always good to remember . . .

May 2, 2007
Journal
Nothing to Hide

What is honesty? Most of us would say, “Telling the truth.” But it is more than that. Telling a lie is dishonest, yes, but a lie is like a tiny piece of fruit on a big tree . . . with a deep root system.

Think of two trees: Integrity and Deceit. Integrity is a beautiful, strong, healthy tree, which produces fruit that is nourishing to those who grab a piece as they pass by. With Integrity, what you see is what you get.

Deceit’s outward appearance is the same as Integrity’s, but the fruit it produces is rotten and bitter. When most people walk past Deceit they do not realize the fruit is bad unless or until they’ve tried it. Imagine their surprise when they realize how different their perception was vs. the reality. In the case of Deceit, what you see is NOT what you get.

That analogy provides a pretty good definition of honesty: What you see is what you get. If someone is honest, they are the same person on the outside as they are on the inside. They do not have to put up a front to keep people from seeing the ugly stuff inside of them. They are not afraid of exposure; they are who they are.

But who can possibly live up to this? Which one of us can honestly say (pun intended) that they are not a little uncomfortable with certain people knowing their dirt? Ah, dirt! That’s the heart of the issue, isn’t it?

The problem of dishonesty stems from the problem of sin. If we constantly walked in the light and purity of Jesus, we would have nothing to be ashamed of, and therefore, never find ourselves in a situation where a not-so-honest response seemed necessary. Jesus said, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)

(You might as well give Integrity and Deceit the surnames “Light” and “Darkness,” because that is the difference between honesty and dishonesty.)

Jesus said He came into the world to save us from darkness; that is to say, He came into the world to save us from our prideful habit of lurking in the shadows to cover up who we really are. And that’s the point: Who we are is the issue; not what we say, or even what we do.

It is sad that most of us care more about how people perceive us than whether or not their perception is reality. We don’t mind having flaws (rotten fruit) because they are displeasing to God; we mind having them because we don’t want people to think less of us because of them.

None of us have “arrived” to a point of perfection. But the fact that most of us do not care about being like Jesus as much we care about how others view us is disheartening. When will we realize that it’s not what’s on the outside that matters but what’s going on inside of us that counts?

Jesus sees everything—every teeny, tiny, bit of darkness inside of us. His perception of us does not change because He sees our weakness. He loves us anyway. But He does not just overlook our issues. He forgives and cleanses them, yes. But blinding Himself to things that need to change (ie things that will ultimately lead us away from Him), He does not do. This is not because He does not love us, but because He loves us. And for that very reason we must recognize the importance of being open and honest with God first, ourselves second, and others . . . well, one will follow the other.

God wants to shine his light in our dark places—yes, expose what’s not-so-lovely, and make us new. Only after He has done this will any of us be “comfortable” with others seeing who we really are.

Is there anything in my life—past or present—that I would be ashamed, embarrassed, or even just uncomfortable for anyone to know? If so, I need to evaluate my spiritual walk. Of course, it is not necessary for me to advertise my past sins or present flaws to the world. But if I am afraid of exposure, or am uncomfortable with people “finding out” something (no matter how small or seemingly insignificant) I need to examine my heart.

There are countless reasons for dishonest behavior and one is fear. Sometimes our desire to hide something, even very small, is unnecessary—just a problem of paranoia or imagination. Other times it’s because we subconsciously or consciously know ourselves to be “off” in some way. Any desire to hide anything is a sign of a deeper issue.

If there is something in my past that I have not repented of, I must immediately bring it into the light and allow Christ to cleanse me from that sin. (On the other hand, if there is something in my past that I have already repented of, I need only to allow Christ to cleanse my conscious and make me new so that I do not feel bound to my former lifestyle.) If there is something I am doing now that I know to be wrong—or at least, not in line with what the Holy Spirit is teaching me, then I must allow Jesus to deal with that issue as well.

The point is, a Christian should never be afraid of light. If we are walking with Jesus we are light: For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8) When Christ comes into our lives, His light illumines our darkness (Ps 18:28). His presence radiates inside of us with a purity we could never obtain on our own. Because of this, we are enabled to live in such a way that we have no fear of any sort of light that may shine in our direction. Any scrutiny or criticism by anyone other than Jesus will not affect us. After all, anyone who has been cleansed by Jesus and is walking in the light of His truth has no reason to lurk in the shadows. If we are walking according to God’s plan, we have no reason to fear. In this way we are not acting like Christians, we are being Christians. Why, then, do so many Christians struggle with honesty? Perhaps we have forgotten that we have been cleansed; or perhaps we have slowly moved away from the light we were once given. Whatever the case, let us remember that we all stand (daily) before a God who sees and knows all.

All trees produce fruit after their kind. An apple tree does not produce oranges and a person walking in the shadows will not be able to produce light, “for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.” Ephesians 5:9

“Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:16-18

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit.” Luke 6:43

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:5-9

So Jesus said to them, “. . . Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” John 12:35

God wants us to walk in the light. He wants to make us like Himself: people who have nothing to hide. Lord, shine your light into our darkness. Take away the desire for anything that is not beautiful and true. Help us to walk in your truth so that our lives can be lives of integrity.

What motivates a man or woman to be honest? Having nothing to hide.
What motivates a man or woman to be dishonest? …
We cannot and must not profess to be honest if we are not walking in Truth (Light). The very idea is an oxymoron.

No lurking in the shadows
No hiding from the light
Open and illumined
His truth as my delight

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stephanie Staples Favicon
Anxiety
Stephanie Staples Favicon
Best High Chair Ever