Hide and Seek: Opening Up to God and OthersНамуна

Day 3: Being Found

Over the course of the previous two days, we talked about how all of us hide things from God and our loved ones. This usually ends up isolating ourselves from others, but God knows it’s not good for us to be alone. So He’s spent all of human history seeking us, even sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, so He could make things right with us once and for all.

We ended yesterday with this idea: When we choose to follow Jesus, that means we’ll never be separated from God again. But there are always ways we can be more honest with God and others about what we’re going through.

Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you instantly become an open book, always ready to bare your soul to anyone and everyone. Sharing parts of yourself—especially the parts that you instinctively want to hide—becomes easier as you grow in trust with God and others.

But how do you actually grow this kind of trust?

Instead of hiding, you need to make the choice to seek.

In Psalm 34, the psalmist describes what happens when we seek the Lord. When we bring our struggles to God, the psalmist says that God hears us, answers us, and saves us from all our troubles. How God saves us might not always look the way we expect it to look, but God will prove Himself trustworthy, again and again. As we continue bringing our struggles to God and He continues to support us, our trust in Him will grow.

And what about people? God is the holy king and creator of the entire universe—of course, He’s trustworthy. But people? All of us are flawed. How can we grow our trust in people who are just as imperfect as we are?

First, you need to find the right people to put your trust in. If you’re wondering whether you should open up to someone, look at their other relationships. Are they a loving family member? An encouraging friend? If so, there’s a good chance they’re someone you could look to for support.

Second, it’s okay to start small. If you’re not used to opening up to other people, don’t assume you have to give someone all of the details of your life story. Choose one part of your life that you normally keep hidden and tell someone about it. See how they respond. Starting small will help you find people you can trust and grow your confidence in sharing more parts of yourself.

You weren’t made to hide parts of yourself and live isolated from God and other people. You were made to have whole, healthy, supportive relationships with other people—and that means sharing the parts of yourself that can sometimes feel easier to hide. As you continue this week, consider this reflection and prayer.

Reflection: How can you open up to God this week? How can you open up to one other person this week?

Prayer: Father, I need You. I need other people, too. Would You give me the courage to open up to You and other people? I don’t want to stay hidden and isolated anymore. Thank You for all of the ways You’re working in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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