Encountering Jesus in Honesty

Jonathan Merritt says in Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, that "hiding behind my disguise was crushing and conflicting because at my core - at everyone's core - is a desire to be fully known" (p.89).  Would others really like me if they fully knew me?  Can God even really fully love me?

​In Genesis 3:10, the man, Adam, says:

“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

​It is human nature to want to hide when we feel exposed or vulnerable.  But what if God has something beautiful waiting for us in our honesty? 

First, when we are honest about our own stuff, we can see that we are sinners undeserving of God's grace just like everyone else.  Because of this grace He has for us, we can show that grace to others. Merritt recalls that his honesty has "bred compassion in [him] toward others who wrestle with the baggage they carry in life" (p.88).  

Second, honesty allows us to be "fully used because [we] are ready to be honest about who [we] have been and who God has created [us] to be" (p.92).   Friends, we can encounter Jesus in honesty because it is there we find freedom.  It is there that we can answer confidently, 'yes, God really does fully love me'.

Are there any areas of your life and heart that you can be more honest about?  If you're not sure, pray for God to show you the hidden areas of your heart and allow Him in.  Maybe you too will experience what Merritt realized: "that the ultimate key to move from secrecy to honesty is not telling the whole world, but rather letting God have access, giving Him permission to speak into the dusty recesses of the hidden places, and letting Him become a conversation partner as I sorted through the rubble" (p.96).

Have there been times that your honesty drew you closer to Jesus?