Today Is the Day!

CONCEALMENT is akin to hoarding, and then refusing to reveal what you’ve got for fear the consequences could be painful. Cover-ups in relationships are dangerous because they’re a deterrent for building intimacy. By its very nature, concealment reeks with distrust in addition to controlling what others may have the right to know.

          Concealment produces guilt that Jesus said would eventually be shouted from the house top. Primo Levi noted in his book, The Drowned and the Saved, “Uncomfortable truth travels with difficulties.” Withholding what should be spoken in truth builds a bridge to experiencing something like drowning in guilt and shame.

          Concealment becomes a habit that’s hard to break, but remember, nothing can be concealed from God and that’s good news. If God loves you knowing everything, perhaps others will also. Proverbs 10:9 notes, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes a crooked path will be found out." Truth sets you free, so be courageous.  

From Fear to Faith

A grumpy, griping mood is a way to hold family, friends and foe at a distance. The reason for a bad mood may not be known to anyone, including the one displaying negative behaviors. The tendency to conceal negative thoughts may maintain privacy, but your true feelings can be communicated by your face, tone of voice and other kinds of body language.

Concealment is a consistently used method of controlling your situation, yet it’s difficult to completely hide what’s going on, regardless of what you may or may not verbalize. Alfred Lord Tennyson was aware of this when he wrote, “For words, like nature, have revealed, and half-concealed the soul within.”

Why not speak the truth with openness and honesty? Are you fearful of the consequences, or perhaps unprepared to risk the truth? God’s Word encourages us to speak the truth although we feel fearful. Honesty ultimately builds a bridge to stronger relationships, maybe not immediately, but as God’s purpose and will are accepted.