You Don’t Have to Hide

Okay, friends… I’m going to lay it all on the line here.

This morning, one of our readers left a comment that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.

“I sat through Bible studies where I was too embarrassed to ask a question, thinking everyone else understood and I would be judged because I didn’t.”

To the friend who wrote those words…

Thank you. Your honesty gave me the courage to share mine.

The truth is, there was a time in my own life when shame kept me silent. I loved the Lord, but I was struggling with questions and thoughts I didn’t know how to talk about. I was afraid of being misunderstood. I wondered what people would think if they knew.

So I kept it to myself.

Who do you even talk to about things like that?

One of the saddest realities is that many believers carry their struggles in silence.

We shouldn’t have to hide in shame within the body of Christ.

We shouldn’t have to fear becoming the subject of gossip.

We shouldn’t have to worry that our questions or struggles will be met with judgment instead of compassion.

Yet many of us do.

God never intended His family to be a place where broken people feel they must pretend they’re whole. He calls us to bear one another’s burdens, encourage one another, and gently point one another to Christ.

Many years ago I was sitting at my kitchen table with a therapist who was also a believer. We were working on a language board for my daughter, Joy, when, through our conversation, she sensed there was a deeper struggle in my heart. I was angry with God.

She looked at me and said something that shocked me. It was another “aha” moment for me.

“Cindy, don’t be afraid to talk to God about this. He already knows what you’re thinking.”

Those words changed me.

Why was I trying so hard to hide from the One who already knew everything about me?

David understood this when he wrote:

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me… You understand my thought afar off.” — Psalm 139:1–2

God already knows our thoughts.

He already knows the things we’re afraid to say out loud.

He doesn’t want us to hide.

He is a loving father who wants us to bring our disappointments and questions to him.

Looking back, I realize that much of my struggle was because shame had convinced me to stay silent.

One of the reasons I share these lessons—and sometimes even the difficult parts of my own journey—is because it is my hope and prayer that something God has taught me along the way might encourage someone else.

This morning one reader had the courage to be honest in her comment.

That’s how God so often works.

One person shares.

Another finds hope.

So, to the friend who left that comment…

Thank you.

You may never know how many people your honesty encouraged—including me.

I believe that’s what the body of Christ is supposed to look like.

Not a group of people pretending to have it all together…

But a family of believers who can honestly say,

“Me too.”

…and then lovingly point one another to Jesus.