Radical Honesty.

   Something that has been on my heart and mind. What would my life look like if I lived radical honesty. The sort of honesty that obliterates darkness' and evil's ability to rule and reign in my life. The kind of honesty that is only attainable through trust in Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The kind of honesty that shouts, that screams, "I LIVE FREE."

     In each persons life, this.... thing... this lifestyle... has the ability, the power to turn everything upside down. I believe that radical honesty means no longer covering up hidden struggles because of shame or fear of rejection. I believe radical honesty means speaking out about sin, claiming its wrongness in my life, and thus letting light into a dark place. You can shine a light into darkness, but it is impossible to shine darkness into light. After letting light into a dark and ugly place in your heart, in your soul, in your past, or anywhere, darkness no longer has control. And really truly. Really really truly. Light is so much better than darkness. 

     Confession time... in some odd sort of way... I am afraid of the dark. Not in the sort of way that I need a night light.. (although I did use a night light for a very very long time,) but in the sort of manner that leaves me tense and fearful, it makes me afraid to make noise, it makes me afraid of noises. Darkness makes my mind move at a hundred miles per hour, it paralyzes me. I think that's what dishonesty does too. Suddenly, when I'm walking in dishonesty or bondage, I must watch my steps, the things I say. I live in a constant fear that somebody who does know will tell somebody who doesn't know and blabbidy blabbidy blah. you know the drill. or it could be covering something up that I don't want my parents to know about. Dishonesty. Lying. Sin. it paralyzes us. And personally, keeping things hidden way deep down paralyzes me. It doesn't even have to be a sin. Sometimes its an emotion. Sometimes its a fear. Sometimes its a joy. And maybe... maybe that's just a personal conviction... but I really think that radical honesty changes things. 

      Don't get me wrong... sometimes... its really NOT fun. Recently, I had to be blatantly honest with a friend about something wayyy deep down inside my heart. and quite frankly, it was kind of awful. My soul was laid bare in a way that made me uncomfortable in the acutest sense. and it probably changed our relationship for good in a way that I don't like a whole lot. But you know what came with it? Liberation. Freedom. Peace. and it. was. good. not even like... "yeah, that was good... whatever." but, the pure kind of good. and I knew inside, that Jesus was all over, around, and in it. Jesus, by the power of his Spirit gave me the strength to be radically honest about something I didn't want to be honest about. and then gave me peace and joy despite the circumstance. 

Here'es what I am NOT saying you should do:

1. Go blab all of your friend's secrets because that's being honest.

-NO. that's not being honest, that's gossiping. you don't get to choose what your friends are honest about, you only get to choose for YOURSELF.

 2. You should tell everyone you don't like everything you don't like about them for the sake of  honesty.

-Also NOT okay. you may call it honesty, but in the end its just mean and hurtful and won't get you in any sort of positive direction. we are called to speak things that are edifying and good, for building up, not tearing down.

One of my favorite people in the history of forever, is Corrie Ten Boom. If you havn't read her book, The Hiding Place, you probably should.. ( I definitely cried all the way through it, because it was just so rich.)

In the book, she and her family hid Jews in their homes during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

 They lied  a lot. 

That's something I wrestle with... lying to protect others who are innocent, in times of war and that sort of thing.... Anyways... she had one sister... whose name was Nollie I believe, and Nollie refused to lie. One day, the Nazi's burst into Nollie's house where she was with a blond (and not very Jewish looking) Jewish woman. When the Nazi's asked Nollie if the woman was a jew, she promptly replied with a yes when it would have been so easy to lie and get away with it. The Nazi's took them both. Later, when Nollie was released from jail, she contacted her family and said something along the following lines about the Jewish woman, "The Lord will not allow her to come to harm because of my honesty."

 Shortly after, the Jewish woman was miraculously released. 

That's a true story.

I want to live radically honest. And although claiming that now is kind of terrifying, I know, in my heart of hearts, that it will be better. and better than that it will be the best thing. I will mess up, and I will fail. but my heavenly Father is FULL of grace. He IS grace.

I want to honor God with my life. 

I desire to be liberated. 

Through His cross, He made the way to freedom. 

Why on earth, would I ever NOT choose that freedom. 

How could I not?

Radical Honesty. 

Freedom. 

Rawness.

Liberation.

A captive set free. 

Isiah 42:6-7

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.