“But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
All three of my children know about my abortion. The Lord led me on three different occasions to share my story with them. At some point, I may write about those experiences. But for now, I will say each of them received the news with showers of grace and love. However, one of them asked me a question poignant with power, “Does this mean I now have a secret to keep?”
Thankful he revealed this thought in his little heart, I immediately refuted his fear.
“No, my son. I don’t want you to have a secret to keep. In fact, this isn’t a secret at all. My mission is to tell my story so others can make a better choice than I made or find healing and hope if they had also had an abortion. This isn’t a secret. You probably don’t need to go tell all your friends right now about it, but if the Holy Spirit leads you to share it, I want you to know you have freedom to share. This is not a secret.”
A sigh of relief came over him knowing he didn’t have a secret to keep. In the words of Aunt Mae from the movie The Amazing Spiderman, “Secrets have a cost. They are not for free.” Secrets are exhausting, draining and down-right depressing. I would never want to burden my son with a secret.
However, most with abortion in their past, do hold onto keeping this secret at whatever the cost. Secrecy surrounds abortion and can latch onto your identity clutching on for dear life. It was interesting to me that my twelve-year-old son inherently knew that if he had to keep a secret, he would be robbed of something. Secrets have a cost. They are never for free and in his twelve-year-old mind, he knew this truth.
It is freeing to live fully in the light unhindered by the fear of secrets being discovered. Living in the light of truth is a beautiful way to live—knowing we are forgiven and loved and cleansed by the blood of Jesus from all sin.
Father, thank you for the gift of freedom. Thank you that we can live fully in the light of your grace and truth, fully hidden and protected by you even when we feel completely exposed. Lord, help us to live in the light in community with one another, covered in your love. Help us, your beloved, to come out of hiding. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.