Devotional Reading; Luke 8: 16-2

Text: For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. (v. 17)

There is a difference between secrecy and confidentiality. Secrets are things that we are ashamed of, while confidentiality are those things that are only shared “on a need to know basis”. I have shared this insight many times over the years, in both secular and religious settings.  I often remind people as we enter into a sensitive part of a meeting of the difference between secrecy and confidentiality. I tell them that if they cannot be confidential about the information that they are about to receive that it would be best for them to excuse themselves from that part of the meeting. The violation of confidentiality the trust that is necessary to conduct business.

Robert Boyd Munger once preached a sermon entitled, “My Heart, Christ’s Home”. Published in various forms over the years, I once distributed it in a worship service. It had a very moving effect, especially on one individual who confronted a secret that he kept buried for forty years.

Munger’s sermon ends with Jesus cleaning out the closet of secrets in a man’s life. Jesus relieved the main character of the secrets that held him prisoner.

Secrets are not forever. Think Thomas Jefferson, his secret liaison with Sally Hemmings was denied for generations, but it finally came to light in the wake of modern science.

Secrets can be passed down from generation to generation with detrimental effects. It is time that we face our secrets and free ourselves from their bondage.  Blessed is the person whose loved ones memories is not sullied by secrets.

Lord, remove shame from my life. Give me the strength to face my secrets, to call them by name and to free myself from their destructive power. Amen.