Sometimes Honesty is the Hardest Thing

I sat on their couch, with my heart racing and every muscle in my body tense. I was hyper-aware of every little movement in the room, and my eyes were happy to roam anywhere but in their direction. There was a difficult, emotional conversation ahead and I wasn’t looking forward to having it. No one had broken any confidences, but there was a schism in the relationship that needed to be healed – and honesty was the only way forward.

Why is it so hard to open ourselves up and be truly honest?

Vulnerability leaves us open to more pain, and walls are an easy way to keep others out of the parts of our own lives that hurt. Those walls keep us from experiencing true relationship, from fully healing from our old wounds, and ultimately from truly feeling the kaleidoscope of emotions God has gifted us with.

But it keeps us safe from others.

Weekly Practice: Fully Open

Jeremiah was one of the most tragic prophets in the Old Testament. Called to speak doom and gloom almost exclusively, isolated by the people he’s been called to minister to. His life is lonely, frustrating, and while he is ultimately vindicated through history, he is known as the weeping prophet.

So how does this mix with God’s first interaction with Jeremiah, recorded in 1:4-8. He was known before he was formed in the womb, set apart for the nations, gifted to speak God’s words, and protected by the Most High. Despite all that would come in Jeremiah’s life, he was known by God. That would be more than enough for him.

Is it enough for you? Are you willing to be fully open and honest before God, allowing Him to speak and work in your life?

He knows everything about you, and invites you into that space of being known. I know I am afraid to go there, because others have rejected me – yet God has promised that He loves me.

This week, as you pray, don’t hold anything back before God. Not your anger, your joy, your fears, your insecurities, nor your sins. Hold it all up before Him and listen for Him to speak life.