Week 69: Secrecy - to play to an audience of One

“Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6NIV)

“Secrecy is practicing the spirit of Christ reflected in hiddenness,
anonymity, lack of display and the holding of confidences.” (Adele Ahlberg Calhoun)

Introduction – Secret Exposed

I have to admit that writing on the subject of ‘secrecy’ is one of the toughest moments for me. It is tough because I have to identify my own name at the end of this article (and not using ‘Anonymous’ instead), I have to notify readers that I’m going to give books every month (How can I give to unknown if I didn’t posted the offer?), and I sometime used my own personal examples to illustrates my points in this blog (and most of them appeared to be self-glorified, self-centered etc.) It is tough because in every human heart, including myself, the fact is, while we honestly want to live a simple and hidden way of life – we are vulnerable to people’s recognition and tempted to seek for self-promotion. And thus, often time went we say we do things for God; actually we do it for ourselves.

Un-Secrecy Life

It’s not hard to realize that anonymity is not our thing. In a flesh-mode; we are hunger for recognition, spotlight and display. We want people to know just how generous, godly, smart, successful, popular and knowledgeable we are. Some even appeared to be ‘modest’ by socially involved for the cause of justice (proof? Watch TV3 and read Berita Harian newspaper!), give money to causes where our name gets into print etc. so that by recognitions of the public we can gain reputation and good image. Moreover, every good deed we do sees the light of day. And every juicy secret we know comes out in our next conversation. We reverse the order of our priority in John 3:30 like this: “I must become greater; God (or others) must become less.” 

If you see yourselves trapped in the desire of excess publicity and overly seek for recognition from others, perhaps you (and I) might want to embrace the discipline of secrecy…

Secrecy Life

Throughout the gospels, Jesus valued secrecy. In the sermon of the Mount particularly, Jesus warned his hearers to “be careful not to do your ‘act of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them… when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.” (Matthew 6:1-2) All the deed that exists for the sake of recognition is not honored by God but by men only. To be honor by God is to do special and secret things for Him in the light of One audience – the Father. SØren Kierkegaard writes, “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” That ‘to will one thing’, I translated it as ‘to play to an audience of One’. When you give your gifts in secret, when you pray secretly, when you do things in secret and when you hold some information that are not appropriate for others to hear or to read secretly; then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. That is the kind of honor that true believers should seek.

Practices of Secrecy

How to practice secrecy? In her must-read book Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us [Published by InterVarsity Press, 2005], Adele Ahlberg Calhoun suggests seven practices (I have to admit that some of these suggestions are hardcore!) for us to follow if we want to practice the spirit of Christ in secrecy:

• Finding acts of service that you can render without letting anyone know what you have done or why you have done it. 
• Holding confidences as secrets not to be shared. 
• Refraining from the compulsion to tell all you know. 
• Abstaining from revealing your good deeds, talents and qualities. 
• Consecrating intimate moments of your walk with God to him alone; speaking of them with no one else. 
• Being a safe place for others to share their secrets.
• Celebrating the achievements of others without having to bring up your own.

Last Words

“Superficiality is the curse of our age,” writes Richard Foster. I agree. We sometime appeared to be religious, but really, in the depth of our being there’s no private love relationship with God. Secrecy helps you to examine motives and intentions in your heart. Today, after you read this article, try to develop a secret place of intimacy with Jesus. Practice this discipline in secret. Make covenant before God to keep confidences and secrets. Do something for or give something to someone anonymously. And when you receiving praise and recognition, (I’m aware that there are things we cannot avoid but to do it in public or things that require people to see so that they can be informed, inspired and create awareness etc.) receive it well and with thanksgiving. Enjoy the moment but then quickly moving on without needing to add any self-glorifying comments.

Let’s bring back the order of our priority, “He (Jesus) must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Soli Deo Gloria.