Prayer:
Lord, help us to be honest about who we are and what we are up to. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to receive the truth you reveal to us about who we are (you know) and how much you love us. Amen.
Bible Reading:
Psalm 51
Silence:
One to two minutes
Reflection:
Honestly is hardly a commodity that gets a lot of public traffic. There is the marketplace promising everything from sex appeal to long life to instant riches; there is the political scene pushing alternative facts; there is the legal system that plays justice; there is the smile on the street that holds so many messages. Honesty? But to be really straightforward about it all – the dishonesty around us is merely a reflection of the dishonesty within us. The desire of the human spirit is to remain covered, keeping the truth from others and from self. This is one of the big problems we have with the God who is not our construction. We end up fearing that we will be found out. Get over it already! Sure God knows you, but God also loves you, even in your hidden places.
Action – Repentance and Creation:
List three things about yourself that other people don’t know, things that you have concealed. Be honest now! Don’t go and tell anyone, but rather spend the next few days talking about them to God in prayer, telling God why you conceal them, and asking God for wisdom to deal with them.