Coming Out of the Closet

Hello All,

Do you remember the feeling of being trapped? It is very common for many to rouse from nightmares of being trapped in an enclosed area. When I was a child, I often dreamt of being trapped under the bed, with all openings for escape sealed.

There was once a little girl who felt trapped in the closet she grew up hiding in. ‘The Closet of Shame’ was the name coined for that dark, gloomy closet. She had the key to open that locked closet. But the uncanny thing was that her mindset kept her believing that she was trapped, with no way out.

An inner child resides in each one of us. Our age may tell us that we are grownups but many of us carry the emotional wounds we sustained as a child into adulthood. Instead of bringing those wounds to God in prayer, we hide from them in a closet of shame.

Coming Out of the Closet

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling

I’ve been hiding in a place so dark

The place; a closet bearing shame’s mark

Has been my prison and hiding place

It’s trapped me like a winding maze

The darkness is thick and tangible

The shame is painfully palpable

The darkness of shame is like a fog

A fog that clouds a gloomy bog

One day, I heard God’s voice calling me

‘Why remain trapped when I’ve set you free?

Now, open the closet, do not fear

There’s no need to fear for I’m right here’

I pushed open the closet of shame

Took one step forward and out I came

I glanced back at what held me captive

I’ve been given a new life to live

‘Look, but do not return to your past

I’ve given you freedom that will last

Forever and for eternity

Your shame I’ve vanquished on the Tree’

The freedom felt too good to be true

Is this true? I didn’t have a clue

Am I really free? How could this be?

My heart was filled with uncertainty

‘Take my hand now, I’ll show you the way’

His kind voice compelled me to obey

He guided me with steps to follow

He told me to look through the window

I peered through the window in the room

I saw beautiful flowers in bloom

The garden had a beauty so rare

‘Are you now ready to set foot there?’

My yearning eyes gazed at the fountain

Right in the centre of the garden

Despite my longing, I felt great fear

‘There’s no need to fear for I’m right here’

‘I’ve never left this room; I’m afraid

So afraid of getting hurt,’ I said

‘You’ve been hurt deeply; now that is true

Look at my hands that were pierced for you’

‘My hands I’m now extending to you

Hold them and let us start things anew

My nail-scarred hands will heal those memories

In my arms, you’ll find strength and safety’

Points for Reflection:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

(Romans 8:1-2 ESV)

·       It is Jesus Christ who gives us the key to freedom from that closet of shame that has been holding us captive.

·       For those of us who trust in Christ, we may know intellectually that Christ has died in our place to set us free from facing the wrath of God. But our intellectual knowledge often does not match how we feel about our current circumstances in life.

·       Painful memories of the past, stormy trials of the present and nerve-wracking anxieties of the future may be holding our minds captive from fully enjoying the peace and freedom that we already have in Christ. We are living like prisoners instead of free citizens of God’s Kingdom.

·       What are the things that are holding your mind captive? What are you ashamed of? What are you hiding from?

·       Jesus Christ is extending to you his nail-scarred hands. Those hands were pierced for you. Remember the freedom that He has purchased for you with His precious blood. Find strength and safety in His arms.