I’ve spent a lot of my life in hiding. I try to mask my insecurities, faults and shortcomings. Quite honestly, it’s grown to be a heavy load.
Can you relate?
Some of us hide because we fear rejection or judgment. Whatever the case hiding is nothing new. Adam and Eve hid because of sin. Gideon hid out of fear. What makes you want to hide?
One day when my “if people really knew the truth about me” fears were overwhelming I happened on these scriptures in the book of Colossians.
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmedthe spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Colossians 2:13-15 NLT
As I consider these passages, I see how He willingly took our wrongs and cancelled them. Further, He nailed them to the cross and utterly obliterated them. By doing this, He disarmed and shamed the spiritual rulers and authorities with His victory on the cross.
Literally our enemy and every single one of his imps have been disarmed and deprived of power over us. The Cross is our safe place. The cross beckons us out of hiding and into His love and into the Community of faith. With the cross as our safe place we can enjoy a relationship with Jesus Christ – and with one another.
With the cross as our safe place we hear the words you don’t have to hide anymore. Fears like God can’t forgive me or what will people think dissipate at the cross.
I can almost hear some of you saying yes, I can accept the cross as my safe place, but the whole community of faith thing that is another matter. I struggle with that as well so let’s look at some truths that will help us live in community and build healthy relationships.
Trust Christ Completely
He is the only One who will never let us down. When Christ is our anchor, our ship does not sink when people disappoint us.
Realign Your Expectations of People
When we lean into Christ fully our expectations of people are realigned. This means we are free to enjoy community in a brand-new way. No longer do we rely on people fully to meet our needs, affirm our value and strengthen our faith.
Develop Relationships Over Time
You can learn a lot by listening to what is said, and what is not said. It takes time to build rapport, confidence and trust. It isn’t wise to trust and share with everyone, but there are safe people in this world. Look for and be a safe trustworthy person. None of us were meant to do life alone.
The next time you find yourself wanting to do life alone – or go into hiding for fear of judgment/rejections etc. Take a moment to reflect on the Cross as your Safe Place – and remember You don’t have to Hide anymore.
Monica Schmelter is the host of CTN’s daily television show Bridges and also the General Manager of WHTN, Nashville TN. Bridges airs in over 50 Million Homes and also airs on ROKU. She is also the co-author of Messy to Meaningful. To learn more go to monicaschmelter.com
