Revealed!

Got any secrets tucked away? Have you done anything that you hope no one knows about, that you hope no one EVER discovers? A woman I know well discovered that her grandfather was married to a woman other than her grandmother when he was a young man. She never knew it until he died! How about something good, some act of beneficence or kindness for which you do not wish any recognition? My own grandfather provided large sums of money to his relatives for higher education, a fact that was only discovered when the family went through his papers after his death.

The media establishment was full of excitement yesterday as a 30 years-old secret finally was revealed. Amazingly, in Washington, DC, a city known for its 'leaks,' the identity of the man whose stories brought down the Nixon administration in 1974 was closely guarded until W. Mark Felt, now 91, decided to tell the world that he was the source of the information about the Watergate cover-up; a high level conspiracy cooked up in the White House to conceal a third-rate crime. No one knows exactly why he chose to tell his story now. Was it to relieve a guilty conscience for betraying the trust of many who called him a friend? Was it to revel in the national media attention he will receive for a few days? Was it to sell a book? Perhaps that's one secret he won't reveal! This much is sure, Mr. Felt actions are being examined with responses that range from outrage to applause.

Many people whose lives were changed by Felt's actions said that he took the coward's way, giving information he had as the Deputy Director of the FBI to reporters. If he knew the law was being broken, he should have stood up and took the information to a grand jury. I don't know or understand the power politics that shaped that by-gone era, but I know this-- the best way to live is transparently! A person with integrity keeps no secrets. He admits to his failures openly and accepts praise humbly. He chooses to live his life as an open book, accountable for all of his actions. All kinds of sin flourishes where there is a double life. Hidden sins are full of emotional poison like a festering boil.

The Bible promises a moment of revelation! What an experience that will be, when we see ourselves and others for who we really are; when carefully constructed public images are torn away, when privates thoughts and actions are revealed.

Paul explains- "It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much.
The Master makes that judgment. So don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in.
When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the “Well done!” of God." (1 Corinthians 4:3-5, The Message)

How does that passage make you feel today? Is it a source of terror or comfort? That will depend on the choices we are making right now. None of us will live perfectly. There will be regrettable decisions, moments when ignoble passions take precedence over high aspiration. So does this mean that we will inevitably stand in shame at the final accounting before our Lord? Not necessarily! Here's the good news. If we choose to live with integrity, owning our failures with the same enthusiasm as our successes, admitting our sins as readily as we trumpet our victories, we are forgiven! John tells us that "If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NIV) Rob those secrets of their power to keep you enslaved or in fear! Tell God, then find a trustworthy confessor friend and get that secret sin out in the open, forgiven, and robbed of its ability to torment you any longer.

Here's a wonderful passage to take with you today:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;" (Psalm 103:8-13, NIV)

Hallelujah! What a Savior!