Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the Seven Lies That Women Tell ThemselvesSample

Day Six: My Transparency Opens the Door for Soul Connections

Transparency builds relationships, and God desires to build His relationship with you. He desires to reveal Himself to you. His Spirit knows the mysteries that He has in His heart, and that Spirit resides in you in order to disclose those mysteries to you.

For many years I thought the disappointing things that happened in my life were in some way a punishment from God. Our relationship was distant at best, and in all honesty, completely nonexistent at one point. Past mistakes and hurts seemed like an insurmountable wall. I could not imagine being transparent with anyone and certainly not with God. Every relationship in my life was affected by the distance between my words and my heart. I had a fear of being transparent. Fear is an unusual emotion. It is only as powerful as the fuel you feed it. If you feed it negative, self-defeating thoughts, it will grow. But if you surround it with affirmation, self-acceptance, and the truth of God’s Word, it loses its hold on your life.

There are times in our lives when we come face-to-face with God, times when our relationship with Him will not grow until we are able to come to Him with our feelings. During these times we learn the power of God’s love for us. Disappointments and losses in our lives do not change the character of God. God is good. God is merciful. God is love. If you find it hard to be transparent with others, first learn how to be transparent with Him. He knows about every aspect of your life and still wants to be the lover of your soul. 

• I am being pursued. “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3). 
• God is calling me to a deeper relationship. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. . . Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:28–30). 
• Fear is my call to seek intimacy. “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love” (1 John 4:18).

Is there someone you are 100 percent transparent with? What qualities does this person possess that makes you trust them with the intimate details of your life? Where do you see these qualities in your life?