Come Clean

Do you remember being 13? I sure do. That was the year I decided to make a stupid decision. A girlfriend and I decided it would be a challenge to steal lip gloss from a local market ( I know, you can stop laughing now) so we hopped on our bikes and rode down the street to do just that.  Of course we got caught, hand-cuffed and packed into a squad car where our officer efficiently delivered us to a hard and cold-walled juvenile detention center. What fun it was to strip off our jewelry and shoes, sitting in an ugly cell while waiting in dread as our parents were summoned.  It was absolutely horrible to admit to my parents that I had disrespected them and it wasn't until  later that I realized a deeper lesson - I had disrespected myself.

I didn't experiece freedom from guilt until I came clean in the office of my probation officer where I was issued my community service work - cleaning up trash at the local fairgrounds. To my parents shock the work exhilerated me.They thought my happiness was due to a lack of understanding the seriousness of my crime when really, it derived from coming clean - confessing my wrongdoing and truly not wanting to do it again.  The healing had begun! I was not a slave to a secret! Is the enemy keeping watch over you while you suffocate in a closet of  shame? You just might like hearing Pastor Silva's sermon, "Coming Clean"...it sure made an impression on me and I hope it does for you too!

Click here: Come Clean