Let’s be clear about this: nobody is perfect. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, ‘Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins’ (NLT). Only Jesus, who was fully human and fully divine at the same time, can claim never to have sinned. And yet, when we’ve done something wrong, we feel like the only person in the world who’s made that mistake. Guilt is one of the loneliest feelings. We don’t want to open up and admit our mistakes to anyone, so we isolate ourselves. We think others will judge us, or that our friends will turn away from us if they find out what we’ve done. (If we’re honest, we’ve probably been on the other side of this, and avoided someone when we’ve discovered some less-than-great fact about them.) So we put on the ‘everything’s fine’ mask, while secretly carrying that guilt around with us. It’s very humbling and uncomfortable to own up to someone about the things we’ve done wrong, and it can be even more daunting to tell God. But the Bible says, ‘A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in times of need’ (Proverbs 17:17 NLT). If we decided to open up to others about our mistakes, maybe some would turn away from us. We might also be surprised to find out who stuck with us. But we can be certain that God won’t turn away from us. He’s told us, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NIV). God is our truest and most faithful friend. Even if at first it seems intimidating to confess to our perfect God, we can be confident He’ll welcome us and draw us close to Him when we do.

What now?

Do you tend to be a bit formal and guarded when you’re praying? As you pray today, try talking to God as if you’re talking to your best, most trusted friend. Because that’s who He is.