40 Days to Lasting Change Day 16
Honesty That Brings Healing
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13
Brutal honesty includes telling the truth about yourself to someone else. The Prodigal Son understood that there was no way around it. After telling the truth to himself about his situation and what he deserved, he realized he also needed to be honest with his father. In Luke 15:18, he said: “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” He recognized that it wasn’t enough for him to be honest with himself; he also needed to be honest with his father. Most of us don’t practice voluntary confession. Not when it comes to being honest with ourselves, especially not when it comes to confessing to others. Voluntary confession is when we regularly and voluntarily acknowledge our sin and honestly admit our weaknesses to someone in our lives. (Idleman, Kyle. 40 Days to Lasting Change: An AHA Challenge (p. 107, 109). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.)
The author today says, “When we are honest with God about our sins, He forgives us, but when we are honest with others, we find healing. I don’t know about finding healing but that certainly puts us on a track for healing. One thing that we do find in confessing our sins to others is that we find help for sure. Something about confessing our sins, our needs, our wants to others allows us to better experience God’s great love.
From the Kitchen Table 