Get it all out there!

My wife, Jenny, and I have no secrets from each other. Before we got married, we chose to lay everything on the table—our pasts, our failures, and even things we had never dared to share with anyone else.

I won’t lie. Some of it was scary to open up about.

What if she wouldn’t understand certain parts of my life, my culture, or my upbringing? What if she thought, “That’s too much. I can’t handle this,” and walked away?

I had a choice: I could let shame keep me silent, hide my brokenness, and build our marriage on a picture-perfect lie. Or, trust that the truth—no matter how uncomfortable—is always the better choice (and ultimately a stronger foundation).

It is a choice we have to make daily, not just when getting married.

Especially when we feel guilt creeping in. Because shame always tries to bury guilt. It tells us to lock it away, keep it hidden, and never let anyone see it.

But that’s another trap, set for us by the enemy.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. – Proverbs 28:13

Shame will convince us that bringing dark things to light will somehow be worse than hiding them, or that we will be rejected when the truth is known.

Guilt says: I made a mistake. Shame says: I am a mistake.

God invites us to bring everything to light, so that darkness has no power over us.

King David understood this principle when he said:

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord .” And You forgave the guilt of my sin. – Psalms 32:5

Another great practice, to break the power of shame and guilt, is to confess your sins and mistakes to another believer (James 5:16).

Make a decision today not to let shame keep you from stripping yourself of all the guilt in your life. Confess your sins to God and to someone else, conquering shame and living in perfect peace.

Hey! You are a Chamatkar.

Cameron Mendes

P.S. This is the final day of this plan. The texts from this reading plan come from the daily email subscription Chamatkar Every Day. If you'd like to receive a daily encouraging email, I invite you to subscribe here.