Unconfessed sin is a toxic mold. It grows slowly in dark places and damages the health of those around it.

Confession is sunlight. While it takes bravery to bring ugly stuff up from the cellar and into the light, the reward far outweighs the effort. 

In a featured piece this week, Richard Foster recalls Bonhoeffer:

A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light. 

Sometimes sin is obvious — lust, anger, or envy. Sometimes it is subtle — self-hatred or spiritual pride. Whatever it is, may you have the courage, as Nathan Foster describes, to lay it openly before a brother or sister you trust. Freedom awaits.