For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.  Luke 8:17

Our culture values perception above reality. We work tirelessly to create an image of perfection in the minds of others that requires a constant covering-up of who we truly are. We work to build up a facade, a false outer shell, in attempts to keep in darkness that which we fear will cause rejection. But the greater our facade the less we are truly loved. When someone loves an image we’ve created that we know isn’t truly us, we can’t receive that love. When someone compliments the image of perfection we’ve worked to create, we are all the time thinking, “If you only knew who I really was, you wouldn’t be saying those things.” To be fully loved is to be fully known.

To live in secrecy before God, man, and yourself is to live in darkness. We are made to be fully known. We are made to be open and vulnerable. It’s only in the place of living fully known that we can truly receive the depths of God’s love for us. It’s only in being fully known that we discover who we really are and the immensity of our need for God.

May you walk away today free from shame and fear after having faced a holy God vulnerably and having encountered his unconditional love.

Lord, I pray for the strength to be totally vulnerable in admitting my faults, sins and prejudices to you this day. I ask for your forgives in all these things, that I may feel and see the power of your grace and love. I pray the Holy Spirit guide me in my faith walk today, that I might give hope to someone lost or hurting through compassion and love in their circumstances. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.