Lakewood Blog

I can remember one of the first instances I felt the need to hide. I was in elementary school. At the time, Lee Majors played the Six Million Dollar Man on TV. He was the coolest! In the show, whenever the Six Million Dollar Man did a great feat, it was always done in slow motion. And there was a really cool sound effect that went along with it. For those who grew up in my time period, you know exactly what I’m talking about!

One day while my mom and dad were at work, I thought I’d recreate one of the Six Million Dollar Man’s great feats. Taking two glass hurricane lamps, I placed them on my arms and laid across my mom and dad’s king-size bed as if I were chained down. In slow motion, I acted as if I were the Six Million Dollar Man attempting to break loose. With the tension building in my arms, I slowly began to break the imaginary chains that had me bound. Attempting to keep the feel of slow motion just like the tv show, I strained to provide resistance to my arms. Needless to say, I could only hold the tension for so long before my whole upper body fatigued. Unable to hold the tension any longer, my arms came crashing together. And, as you can imagine, the two glass hurricane lamps were part of the crashing experience!

All of a sudden, my time of imagining had ended and reality had set in. I was left sitting on the king-size bed with two shattered hurricane lamps at my side. Upon realizing what I had done, and fearful of the impending consequences, the only thing I could think to do was run and hide outside in the garage. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I guess somehow by doing so, I hoped I would not be found out. Needless to say, I was found out.

When things go wrong, why do we feel the need to hide?

Since the beginning of time, hiding has been a red flag. Remember Adam and Eve? After realizing what they had done by listening to the deception of the serpent, the first thing they sought to do was hide (Genesis 3:8). We should learn from their colossal mistake.

Hiding is and should always be a red flag to us.

Hiding is an indicator that we are afraid or ashamed of someone or something. When we hide something from our friends, family, or spouse, we’re either afraid of their reaction or ashamed of our behavior—or both.
If you are married, you are in a covenant commitment with your spouse. And in marriage, there are no secrets. Covenant marriage cannot thrive under the cloak of secrecy. Covenant marriage says, “I give you free and unhindered access to my life. Nothing is hidden.” There are NO secrets.

In the Kingdom of God, nothing is hidden. There are no secrets. God’s Kingdom is advanced in the light. His Kingdom is not advanced in darkness. Whatever we may be tempted to hide, rest assured that God wants it brought to light.

As a matter of fact, God has a way of bringing things to the light. Don’t fool yourself. If you are hiding something from someone, it will eventually come to the light. It’s not a matter of if it will come to the light, it’s a matter of when it will come to the light.

When our kids were still at home, occasionally at the dinner table, Dawn or I would simply ask, “Is there anything you need to tell us?” We’d, then, wait patiently for our children’s responses. Rarely was it ever that we knew one of our children was hiding something from us. It was just our way of seeing if one of them needed to confess anything to us. Needless to say, their responses were always a bit amusing.

For years, we have asked the Father to bring to light things in our children’s lives we needed to know. If they were hiding something from us that could be potentially detrimental or unwise, we trusted the Father would bring it to the light for us. He has done so. There have been times when things were brought to our attention without us snooping or spying. God is faithful. He has a way of allowing things to be brought to the light.

According to Mark 4:22, where there is revelation, there is light. Where things are hidden, there is the Domain of Darkness. Revelation and light advance the Kingdom of God. Hiding and secrets advance the Domain of Darkness.

  • Which Kingdom are you presently advancing in your life—the Kingdom of God or the Domain of Darkness?
  • Are you presently hiding something that may be potentially detrimental or unwise for you?
  • If married, which Kingdom are you presently advancing in your relationship?
  • Are you hiding something from your classmates, friends, coworkers or spouse? If so, why?
  • Is there darkness in your life that needs to be brought to light? If so, what are you going to do about it? Who can you tell?