Do you find yourself doubting your faith? Come on. Admit it. Even the most famous Christians had moments, even long periods of doubt. It’s common, but it can be minimized. Doubt is a weapon of the enemy. Sharing is our counter-weapon.
I remember as a new Christian shuddering at the mere use of the word, sharing. My wife and her closest Christian friend used it often. They would “share.” Sounded awful. It reeked of vulnerability and deep secrets and girly stuff. Yet now, years later, it’s the reason I love Kairos and prayer and share groups. What Satan had made sound awful has become precious.
Christians are called to live in community. Not just in close physical contact, but in intimate relationship. We know, intellectually, that in our weakness, Christ is strong. But if we remain isolated we fear weakness. We believe that we are alone in our weakness, so we deny it. “Sharing” is the honest admission of our weaknesses. In that sharing comes the realization, that we are all weak and that our only strength is in Him. Our common weakness in self and strength in Him bind us together.
Imagine yourself in prison, where no one trusts anyone else. It is deadly to appear weak. It is folly to trust. It is alien to share. In come “free men” who freely admit they are weak, and scared and their only hope is in Christ. That’s world changing. But the prison is only the extreme example. Most of us live in prisons of isolation. Where Satan can convince us that we are alone in our weakness, and doubt and despair.
It’s great to talk about armor, and breastplates and swords. There is truth in all of those analogies. But his greatest weapon is isolation and our only response is vulnerable sharing. Don’t be satisfied with sitting in quiet isolation at home or in church. Community isn’t sitting in the same pew. Community is living in each other’s hearts.
Begin small. Find one believer you can trust just a little and share some small part of you. The sharing and the trust and the confidence will grow. Beware. There are intimacy killers out there. Not everyone can be trusted. Some like nothing better than to gossip. To share secrets about others is a pitiful substitute for sharing truth about ourselves. If you find yourself constantly talking about the faults and lives of others, that’s your spirit desperately calling out for real intimacy with someone. It’s not everyone else you really want to share about. It’s yourself.
The only secrets you should ever share, are yours. The secrets of others you should keep.
Share as Christ intends and
Be blessed.
Nick
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