Tell your secret and it will save you
It's the secrets you tell, not keep, that end up saving you; that end up bringing you the peace and calm and silence you've been looking for.
Because, TBH, you haven't been silent, you haven't been holding your body and heart in a place of gracious stillness, the peaceful silence of moonlight and contentment, the restful beauty of daybreak...
These secrets, these hard truths, these things you've been hiding, have your body and heart in the eerie unsettling stiffness of things not being said.
Maria Nemeeth said:
"You are only as sick as the secrets you keep."
Jesus said:
"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
Your secret is not shameful.
The truth that you have within you to tell is sacred. You will not be kept safe by keeping it, even though I know sometimes it feels like you will. When you set it free, you set yourself free, too.
You end up setting us all free.
Because what's true for you, is true for us all, is true for the faith communities we belong to, our places of work and industry, our justice systems, education institutions, government bodies... If they do not bring forth what is within them, the secrets of shame and fear that they hide, the damage and trauma and the pain and the toxicity they perpetuate, will only further a culture of destruction.
We need to create a world where the truth is welcome, where the truth is what we seek, where the truth does not become the collateral damage of empire, institution, reputation, and profit margins. Where human bodies and lives and hearts and spirits are not pawns in a game of wealth and control but are the things that resource and institution exist for.
And for this to take place, we need a revolution of listening, of truth honouring, of collective safe space, of belief. Because the number one thing that prevents most people, especially women, from telling their secrets is the fear of not being believed.
An Instagram Live conversation I had with author Tiffany Bluhm inspired this series. She said:
"Follow [Jesus'] call to care for the least among us. The Prince of Peace comforts the broken, and so must we. The Lion of Judah protects the afflicted, and so must we. The Lamb of God advocates for the downtrodden, and so must we. The Son of David defends the oppressed, and so must we. The Light of the World dignifies the lives of women, and so must we. The Last Adam empowers the daughters of Eve, and so must we... We, as people of God, can lift our cries, throw open our arms, and weep with those who've been silenced as we march with them toward the sunset of justice and mercy. As the oppressed and harmed search for safety and restoration, and as women fight to rise above systemic and gendered oppression, may our banner forever read, "Take your place at the table, sister. You are welcome here."
Friend, it might seem trite, but you are believed... the empathetic witness of love knows, The Divine believes you, your body testifies to the truth.
And yes, there will be sceptics, there will be naysayers, there will be those whose sense of peace and belonging hinge on your story not being true...
Speak up anyway, even if your voice trembles and your body shakes, rise up, set your secret free, be the catalyst for your own healing and the healing of these broken systems, be who you were always meant to be.
This is how the revolution begins.
Mindful Prompt: It's the secrets you tell, not keep, that end up saving you; that end up bringing you the peace and calm and silence you've been looking for; that end up saving us all; that lead us to truth and healing and justice and grace.
Continued in the upcoming series "The Secrets You Tell", this week with a subscription in the App.
Written by Liz Milani.
Instagram: @thepracticeco
