So, a response to a question posed in a recent post. The question was, "What is hiding's opposite?"
Of course, there is not just one answer. Like most things, it's not just a "for this, do that" proposition. It's not a formula per se. But, all caveats aside, I'm thinking that the opposite of a life committed to self-protection through hiding is contrasted by a life that God seems to recommend to His people -- that is, a life of confession.
Confession is a term that makes us rather quickly feel something we don't like. We don't like the idea, as least at first blush. Perhaps it is what we believe makes confession necessary that we don't like to acknowledge -- that we've done something wrong and need to apologize for it. This, of course, means that we have to admit it. We have to admit it to ourselves and we have to admit to someone else. This is against the notion of keeping others away from the parts of us that aren't nice, tidy, and clean. Thus the reason we work as hard as we do to filter ourselves in front of others, so that are darker sides are not seen.
But the problem is that we forfeit something in this commitment to protect ourselves. We forfeit the opportunity to be known, to be embraced, to discover a level of acceptance that we're afraid we won't get, to live freely...faults and all...with those around us.
God recommends confession throughout the Scriptures, from the design of how to handle things when we do sin against someone, to the practice of asking God to reveal to us where we hurt Him and others, all the way through to fighting the good fight of faith -- described as the 'good confession' -- by the way we live our lives.
Confession really is quite simple. It is acknowledging what is true. Both the good and the bad. It is acknowledging our need. It is recognizing our dependence on something besides ourselves for our well-being, our dependence on God. 2 chronicles 7 says that confession will lead to healing. 1 John 1 says that confession leads to cleansing, to being pure. Psalm 51 says it will lead us to health and strength, even joy.
So whether specifically or through our general style of life, God recommends the less-worn path of confession, particularly in constrast to the well-worn path of hiding ourselves. Perhaps this is why Jesus simply recommended this prayer to be on our lips on a regular basis:
Our father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done.
On earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts
As we have forgiven our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory,
Forever.
This is confession; it is acknowledging who is in charge and aligning ourselves with the implications thereof. I think it is the opposite of hiding.
