1 John 1:8-10
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
A complaint that many women level against men is that we are unwilling to admit begin hurt or sick. We will say its just a scratch, nothing to worry about when we should be going to the hospital to get stitches. Because we are supposed to be tough, we have perfected the art of self-deception by trying to convince ourselves that we are fine, when we are not. Of course this only lasts until we can no longer take the pain, infection has set in and the injury is far worse than it had to be. Self-Deception can be a very dangerous habit.
Another area that we deceive ourselves is with our sin. We try to convince ourselves and those around us that we are actually really good people. We compare our lives to others whose sin is destroying their lives, and reason that at least we aren’t as bad as they are. This is also self-deception. When we are alone with our thoughts, we know how wicked our hearts truly are, but we can’t let anyone else know because then they will think that we are sinners…just like them. The truth is all of us are broken vessels, sinful people who desperately need Grace. And its only when we let go of our pride and turn our eyes to Christ that we see how desperate we are for His forgiveness.
I am convinced that the closer we get to Christ, the less worthy we will feel about being in His presence. The more we Know Him, the more aware we are of our own sin. Our unwillingness to admit that we are broken is keeping us from Knowing Him the way we should. But once we come to that place, where we see Him for who He is, and see us for who we are, we will find ourselves on our knees in confession and it is then that we will experience the cleansing power of Christ.
We are so afraid to admit to ourselves, and those around us, that we need Christ and his forgiveness. We think we have to wear that mask so everyone will think that our lives are perfect and things are going good. We have created a culture in our churches that have people afraid to show their cracks for fear that others will judge them. I think its time we remove the masks, quit covering up the cracks and come together as the recipients of God’s Grace as we stand together amazed at the redemption that we have through Christ!
Today as we Refocus our hearts and minds on Christ lets take off those masks. Your life doesn’t have to look perfect! As a matter of fact, it is through the cracks in our lives that others can look in and see how great His Grace truly is!