On the outside, we have it all together. But on the inside, we may have secrets that we’ve never told a soul. Our secrets lie below the surface. No one can see them; nevertheless, they are there. These secrets cause us pain and keep us from being fully known.
Secrets have the potential to destroy everything near and dear to us. But when we address our pain and bring our secrets out into the open, we’ll find healing.
Where do we feel pain?
There are things that we haven’t told people about. We think that if we ignore our pain, it will go away. But this pain is affecting us at a deep level. Ignoring our pain, or trying to treat it using superficial methods, will only make it worse. The Bible puts it this way, “They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14).
So if we had a broken leg, we wouldn’t try to treat it with a Band-Aid. We shouldn’t think we can ignore our emotional pain. Nor should we think that if we pray hard enough, it will all go away. Instead, our pain needs to be addressed. Our pain may come from . . .
- Past traumas
- A dysfunctional family of origin
- Abuse or neglect
- Abandonment
- Unhealthy relationships
- Addictions
- Grief
- Loss
- Depression
- Mental health struggles
Also, there are many more root issues that we might struggle with. Getting help for the pain deals with addressing the root cause of our pain. Seeing a licensed counselor can help us to pinpoint the origin of our pain. And going to a New Life Workshop can change our life.
How do we get rid of our pain?
The best way to get rid of our pain is to reveal our secrets. We’ve got to bring our pain—and our secrets—into the open. Whether it’s a childhood trauma of sexual abuse or a struggle with addiction, we need to stop hiding these things and be open about them.
James 5:16 puts it this way, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Confessing seems scary and terrifying. Why are we afraid? We don’t know what other people’s responses will be. What we often find is that fear of being vulnerable is greater than the secret itself. Once we bring our secret into the light and realize others have struggled too, it’s not as scary as we think.