Why Am I So Embarrassed?

 “For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.”  Jeremiah 16:17 (ESV)

Hey guys, can we talk about something embarrassing for a minute?

I want to talk about my kitchen dish rag. I’m a little embarrassed to ask you this question because I am afraid you will think I am gross or something. OK, here it goes….do your dish rags stink? Do you have that? Do you have stinky, icky, dirty dish rags in your sink, or am I the only one?

It’s embarrassing to bring this up and talk about it because I feel like I am the only one with this problem. I pick up that dishrag and smell it after just one day, and I am like, “Man, this thing stinks!” But you know what? I bet yours do, too.

My question is this: why are we embarrassed to talk about our stinky dirty stuff? The stuff we know everyone has. Do I hesitate to ask if your dish rags also stink because I worry that maybe they don’t? What if it is just because my house is so dirty and disgusting that the dish rags stink after only one day?

I want to talk about our other dirty little secrets.

Do you ever hesitate to bring something to God that is maybe stinky, dirty, or embarrassing? Perhaps you don’t know if it is typical or if it is just you. Perhaps it is a secret addiction like shopping. I know I deal with that, I convince myself I am not lying to my husband about it because he never asks, but I am also not volunteering any information about how these shopping sprees hurt our budget either.

Maybe it’s that weird thing you think about. You know it’s sinful, but if you ignore it, perhaps it will just go away. Maybe it is the way you always compare yourself to others or how you judge the mom down the street. You think it’s not affecting you or anyone else, so why bring it up? Maybe you think God won’t like you anymore if you tell Him about it. It probably makes you feel ashamed like you are the only one with a problem like this. A little like my dirty dishrag.

In our verse for today, we visit with the people of Israel who are also trying to hide their sin from God. But He who sees everything cannot be deceived.

The enemy wants you to believe it is just you; he doesn’t want you to think you are normal or like anyone else. He wants you to think your stuff is so much stinker than everybody else’s that you couldn’t possibly be worthy of the same love and forgiveness from God as others are.

So, your sin may seem hidden, like it isn’t affecting you or those around you, but it probably is. It is changing your attitudes, your judgment, and your values, all of which then influence your behavior toward others. Maybe you don’t even realize how much damage you are doing to someone else by your reaction. Perhaps that mom down the street you judge so harshly needs a Christian friend like you. Maybe if you were more open and honest with your husband, your marriage would be blessed in ways you could never imagine.

As we search our hearts for any hidden sins, let us not get weary or burdened by this, remember NOTHING can separate us from the love of God, not even our dirtiest, stinkiest sins!

 ^“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” Romans 8:38-39

What hidden sins are you willing to trust God with today? How do you think addressing them today will affect your tomorrow? Let’s pray and ask God to direct us as we discuss our dirty little secrets.

Heavenly Father, we know Satan tries to deceive us into thinking these secrets aren’t important, but we know the Word of God tells us otherwise, and your desire is for us to be free from the web of deceit. So today, we choose to start trusting you with those dark places and to ask for your freedom.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.