I love it when my kids tell me they’ve lied to me.

I don’t mean I love it when my kids lie. (I hate that.) But when they do, I want them to tell me they did.

If you watch how my wife and I respond when our kids fess up to something they did wrong, you might think we just watched them hit a home run. Truth gets rewarded big time in my house. Especially when it’s hard to say.

Why are we so serious about celebrating when they confess?

First, we take it as a given they’re going to do wrong from time to time, but it’s not a given at all that they’ll admit it. We want to help train them to love the light.

Given that, we also know the enslaving power of darkness. You only need a handful of ingredients to turn a problem into a life-dominating problem, and darkness is one of them. Sin and shame thrive in the dark. People don’t.

Third, without truth there’s no relationship. When we do something bad, it can feel like: If those who love me find out, they won’t love me anymore (at least not as much). But people who don’t know the truth about you can’t love you fully. At best, they can only love a fraction of you. In the same way, we want to know our kids—not some fiction dressed in our kids’ clothes.

There’s one more reason: We’ve been there. Both my wife and I know the kind of courage it takes to step into the light. It’s a weak legs and quivering voice courage, a feels like I’m not ready courage, a can’t make eye contact courage, a tears already falling courage.

And we know the forgiveness, reconciliation, joy, freedom, and love from people and from God who have heard our confessions and given grace.

It doesn’t matter what they’ve done. Our kids are made for the light. So are we. So are you.

Have you ever heard your heavenly Father respond to you when you come with a contrite, repentant heart and fully confess what you’ve done wrong?

If you have a secret sin, say it.

And if Regeneration can help in any way, let us know.

Question: What’s helped you step into the light and confess secret sins in your life? If you still struggle to, what’s keeping you from doing so now?

“I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

For you,
Josh