Cathy's Heart

In my last post, I wrote how I have witnessed that a kept secret has the power to keep a person locked in a prison of isolation, guilt, shame, loneliness and fear. But a secret confessed and surrendered into the loving hands of God can set a person free to heal, to grow and to reach out to others. I shared one of my favorite stories of God's amazing power to forgive, heal and restore a young woman's life and turn her dark secret into a life giving ministry. Since then, I have been thinking about another story. The story of a dark secret kept locked inside a woman for more than seventy years. I was entrusted with the confession of this secret years ago while seated on a living room sofa, prepared to interview a precious friend about the lessons she learned over her eighty plus years of life---lessons I planned to pass on to younger women. Pen poised and recorder on, I jotted down her answers to my questions as quickly as I could (pre-laptop). Soon, her answers triggered memories...

Today's post was inspired by two of "my girls" who are on staff with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. This past month they had an outreach on San Diego's college campuses called "No Secrets." The Intervarsity staff and student volunteers invited the students on their campus to share their secrets anonymously, writing them on Post-Its and sticking them on a wall for everyone to see. Hundreds of young people responded. And at the end of the week, students were invited to hear the good news of Jesus' victory over sin and shame, praying for them and sharing the forgiveness and freedom Jesus offers. Many students responded to this invitation. I read dozens of the secrets written by the college students who attend two of our largest campuses. My heart broke for these young adults and the pain they carry in their hearts. It reminded me of times, sitting in a coffee shop or at a restaurant or on a park bench or on a living room sofa, when a woman has said to m...