Your Secret is Showing

The Bible says that everything that's hidden will be made visible; and that what we do in "secret" is witnessed, made manifest.  We can look for just a couple minutes - taking an honest and humble inventory - and see plainly how things done in perceived privacy bring about public evidence.  Have you ever seen a "beer belly," "junk food pimples," or "smokers' teeth?"  No judgment here; we all have behavioral "warts" somewhere in our lives.

The life we lead will tell on us - for better or worse.  If we spend time in the sunshine - but not too much - we have a healthy glow.  If we prioritize fitness and movement, we are likely to be less winded than others during strenuous activity.  If we stretch regularly, we'll be able to bend, reach, and stoop without obvious difficulty.  Muscles develop and make themselves seen too.

I'm going to confess something:  I've had issues with eating - including binge eating - in "secret" or at least attempting to "hide the evidence."  There is a lot of shame and guilt attached to that, especially for someone like myself who grew up in relative scarcity mixed with incessant exposure to dietary restriction.  Even if it isn't done often, those sneaky-snacks show up and reveal what might have been hidden.  That confession is embarrassing and it hurt to put it out there - for a War Veteran with a master's degree in counseling, it's downright humiliating...but ScriptedWellness is about creating a wellness script that is authentic, live-able, and encompasses the whole of a person (warts and all).  If we are dishonest with ourselves, we will not have effective scripts.  We have to get bare before we can get bathed in the blessing of freedom.

Shame and guilt are shackles that keep us shuffling along in defeat.  They rob us of joy and rip any bits of self-acceptance to shreds.  They get in the way of relationship with others - and even disturb fellowship with God.  No wonder they're among the enemy's favorite tools.

Jotting with Johnna
Are you plagued with a behavior you wish would "go away?"  Have you felt successful as long as the behavior wasn't flaring up, only to feel crushed when you "fell off the wagon" in relapse?  What might happen if you shed the shame and got curious about it instead?  Could those repeating but unwanted behaviors have something to teach you?  In the past, can you imagine how they might have met a legitimate need (but in a faulty way), acting as a coping mechanism, emotional numbing agent, or some other escape?  Can you express gratitude to the errant behavior for its aid in the past, while also extending grace for the version of yourself that developed the habit, and then release the behavior (seeking professional help if necessary)?

We can't heal what we hate, because what we resist will persist.

Remember:  you are so very worthy, despite your difficulties, to find freedom from the things that hold you down - those strongholds apparently don't know yet that the One within you is "greater than" your enemy.

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.