Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 4/3/12 - Step 5 - Exposing Our Past

"On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God." Nehemiah 9:1-3 NLT

Step 5: We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

While we become aware of our past in the previous step, simple awareness isn't enough. We need to expose it. It's much easier to go back into a state of denial if no one else has heard us say it out loud. This step asks us to take our inventory and expose it to God, to ourselves and another human being. Some folk may ask why we need to expose it to God when He already knows, but we need to understand that part of building this relationship with Him means giving Him all of us unconditionally. Not to mention that we are biblically committed to take our sin to Him. It is the act of confession, surrender and submission that allows us to grow closer to God.

We also need to expose it to ourselves because we need an accurate picture of ourselves in order not fall back into the trap of ego, pride, self righteousness, and self centeredness. When we see ourselves as flawed and fractured individuals who need God, we find it easier to accept the flaws of others as well.

We also need to expose it to another human being because we sometimes need a fresh set of eyes and ears to help us spot patterns of behavior we were unaware of. As and old wise man once said, "It's hard to spot denial and self deception by yourself!" This exposure will help us sift through the garbage of our past and put it in perspective.

Honestly taking this step will allow us to no longer hold ourselves or allow others to hold us hostage to our past. We can be free.