By Timothy Barton

There are two factors in life that create dishonesty and delusion in me, one is the strong desire for self-preservation. There is a felt need to mask my secret weaknesses; so people cannot use it to harm me. But my secrets continue as a heavy load and they prevent me from fulfilling my true destiny. King David laments in Psalm 38:4 “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.” I think, if others knew my flaws, they would not like me, or they would disrespect me. What I do not realize is, if I accept and acknowledge my guilt, I am in a place to turn weakness into strength; because hidden secrets weaken me still further. Like an alcoholic admitting for the first time his or her bondage; it is the first step to recovery. When my weakness is confessed and exposed, I begin a journey to health and wholeness. If I keep on confessing, along the way I discover there are many who share my weakness and together we overcome. This can only be done in an environment of honesty, where weaknesses are safely shared. Galatians 6:2 says: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.” Until confession is made I am not safe.

The second factor is self-deception. It is not enough to just go around declaring “Not Guilty.” We need to dig deep into the realities of life, to discover the truth, to do the hard work of self-examination. Stop telling ourselves, “if I ignore it, it will be OK.” Honesty with ourselves requires a certain vulnerability and acceptance of who we are as human beings. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” everyone is in the same boat. That’s the truth, but what follow is good news. Verse 24: “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” When I accept my true condition, I accept my powerlessness to change and begin to look to the one who can transform me. Until I do I am just lying to myself.

There is a philosophy out there that promotes the idea, “We are all OK!” Each one has his own truth and it is the best I can hope for. But is it? Just the opposite, look at our world today; “We are not OK!” Something is fundamentally wrong with us, with all the advances in technology; with the self-help section of the book store ever expanding; knowledge is ever increasing and we are no better. More money, more power, more activity, less stress, better food, nicer clothes, nicer cars, cleaner environments and the souls of men continue to ache for something to give meaning and purpose to life. Burdens and weariness are our constant companions and all we can think to do is cover it up, paint on a smile and say “I am OK,” and try to believe it. The sickness remains and the remedy refused: He is Jesus Christ who said, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…” (Matthew 11:28-30). All our wounds, all our failure and insecurity, all our hopelessness and desperation are borne by the one who was “…wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities; … and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). He offers us true change. The removal of guilt, and a fresh start as a whole new being: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).