Recently I was browsing the Internet and stumbled upon an article on confessing secrets that was published by The Oprah Magazine back in 2002. Beings that it was a pretty old piece I almost skipped over it but then I decided to read it. Now while I may not be a huge Oprah fan (easy there ladies), I thought the author of this article really nailed it on the head when it comes to secrets and the power of confession. One thing that really caught my attention was this statement … “We think we’re hiding our secrets, but really, our secrets are hiding us.” What a powerful and true statement! You can check out the full article here.
Here’s the point, we hide our secrets because we are concerned about rejection and all want acceptance. However, by hiding our secrets we also hide who we really are and give people a false person to connect with or admire. Here’s the question, do you want people who accept you because of who you pretend to be or because of who you really are? I personally rather have people around me that know me and love me for who I really am.
One particular area where secrets become especially powerful is in the area of struggles or addictions like porn and sex. Many men and women who struggle with porn keep it secret because they fear rejection. They fear being ostracized. However, while their fear keeps them trapped in a dark place their soul really yearns for confession. They want to get open, they just can’t bring themselves to do it.
Here’s a good place to start … confess here, on our site. Yes, it’s anonymous and it’s not a substitute for personal accountability but it’s a good start. You don’t have to jump into the deep end right off the bat; get started with this simple exercise and see how liberating it feels. Then take that new sense of freedom and go deeper … get accountable and find a community of people who accept and love you for the real you … warts and all.