Are you convinced yet that your private life isn't private? Well, maybe the second part of the second question regarding your private life will convince you:
We assume that as long as what we do in private stays private, then we are entitled to keep it private. But here's the second problem with this idea:
Problem
number 2: Your private life is not private because your private life impacts
others. What you keep private actually effects people. Think of the tension that existed in
the Garden as a result of Adam and Eve trying to hide their sin. The whole of creation was
impacted. Sin changed the game;
over just one screw-up. We can’t
be too hard on them; how many times each day do we sin and try to cover it
up? How many times do we change
the game because we try to hide what we’ve done?
What
you keep private and to yourself effects others. Think of the marriage where the husband is addicted to
pornography. Think of how that
impacts the way he views his wife, the way it impacts their sexual
relationship, the way it builds temptations of thought and action that run
counter to the promises he made in his vows. Think of the way his wife is not receiving the lavish-ment of
love and the encouragement of her beauty that she deserves from her
husband. And still, the husband
pretends to himself that he’s faithful because he hasn’t physically touched
another woman and it hasn’t really hurt anybody because it’s done in the so-called
“privacy” of his mind and own body.
If he ever was to be caught, it would change the game. And so, the husband, every time he
erases the history on the browser, covers things up with fig leaves. But he has not covered up the impact.
We
know the book of Proverbs is about wisdom, but do we know that a huge portion
of this book deals with hidden sexual sin. If there is one thing that trips up wisdom, it’s the lusting
libido. All of chapter Five,
chapter Seven, and numerous other verses throughout the book deal with this
hidden problem.
If
someone were to ask you, “What do you have hidden in your heart?” What comes to your mind? What would you not want to reveal? What do you have hidden in there? When we’re asked that question, we
assume it is a negative answer: “What are you hiding in your heart?” “Oooh, you
don’t really want to know that.”
But the Good News is that we don’t have to answer negatively. We can answer in freedom. Our private life can be exposed without
it being embarrassing. What do you
have hidden in your heart? Psalm 119:11
says, “God, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against
you.” In all of those deep hidden
crevices of our lives, we could actually plant God’s word there. Can you imagine, if you struggle with a
private, hidden sin or a worry or a secret anger against someone or a certain
destructive behavior, what if when you went to open that password protected
closet, God’s word was residing there?
Wouldn’t it be good to answer the question “What do you have hidden in
your heart?” with an abundant sense of freedom and joy and strength and life
and truth and love and hope and faith because “I have God’s word hidden in
there.”
And
as a result, when God’s word resides inside of you, you can’t help but to
reflect that on the outside. Psalm
40:10 says “I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do
not conceal your love and your truth from people.” God living in us was never meant to be a private
affair. Seriously, is your faith
private? That’s a disgusting idea.
If God is living in us, then the inside of our life is to be shared because
it’s good. Imagine keeping your
faith private and meanwhile your neighbors’ lives could really use your
encouragement of faith. Our hearts
are not supposed to be hidden and private. Our hearts are supposed to be lived openly and freely for
God and for others. Look, the
truth is, your private life is not really yours and it is not really
private. It is God’s. God sees it. God shapes it.
It is supposed to overflow with his pattern to positively impact others,
not be covered up to the detriment of others.
Look,
I know some of you are feeling a bit protective right now and saying, Ken,
there are some things we should keep to ourselves. I’m not saying you should start airing your dirty laundry
for everyone to see… but I am saying you need to do the laundry otherwise it
piles up. You do need to air your
soul, your heart, your mind, and your strength to the Lord so that he can
refresh you and prepare you to display his love to this world.
