I will.

Have you ever done something that you regret?  I don’t mean like spending $200 on an orange purse that you thought would be a “pop of color” but turned out to be a “burst of ugly.”  I mean something bad—something dark.  Something that you truly wish had never happened.  Something you’d like to keep hidden.

We all know what the "scarlet
letter" stands for, right?

Most of us have done something we regret.  Most of us have things we’d like to keep hidden.  (If you don’t have something, then please watch out for that wolf called Self-Righteousness who will devour your heart bite by prideful bite every time you judge someone else.)

You fool...

Recently, a dear friend of mine told me that she’s been asked to share her story in a rather public setting.  What she did was done years and years ago.  Hours of therapy, gallons of grace, and pages of truth have all worked together to help her heal.   Finally, her self-inflicted wounds have turned to scars.  And yet, Shame threatens to tear into those scars.  Shame tells her that she’s still that person and that if people knew what she did, they would never respect her or love her. 

The fear of what people will think attempts to wrap around her throat and silence her forever.

And yet, on a sunny hike in the woods, this fearful friend made a declaration.  She said:  “If God wants me to share my story in order to help even one person, then I will.”

“I will!”

It was said with such clarity and strength that I knew it was God’s grace all over her.

I even looked all around us in the woods to see if God was visible.  That is how mighty her pronouncement was.  His power in her life was palpable.  It made my heart pound and tears nearly choked my response.

I will never forget this moment I’ve just described to you. God is already using her obedience to inspire me!

When God rescues us from the wreckage, when He saves us from our sins, when He washes off all the smut, we are transformed—quite completely.   And now, a story of regret, a story of darkness, a story of hiding becomes a story of rescue—a story of renewal, a story of redemption. 

I’m not saying that we have to hang out all of our dirty laundry for everyone to see.  I’m not saying shout it from the rooftops.  But, in the right setting, God may have you share your story.  Your account may serve as a warning and give someone the strength they need.  Or it might serve as a comfort for someone who is sitting in his or her own similar disgrace. 

Is God calling you to share the story of how He rescued you from darkness in order to help someone else and bring Him glory?

What if someone needs to hear that God can rescue them, wash them, and make them whole again??  

What will you say?