Box of Secrets - Dallas Meets Alan

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In the first post of this series, Andy was no help to Dallas with his box of secrets. He didn’t even try to help.

In the second post, we looked at Jesus’s response to a woman whose own box of secrets spilled out into the street for all to see.

Next, Dallas allows Chris to get a glimpse into his box. The reaction was not pretty.

In the previous post, Dallas meets Celine. This kind and gentle, woman does nothing to help Dallas deal with his box of secrets.

Is there no one who will meet Dallas as Jesus met the woman caught in adultery? In this final post of the “Box of Secrets” series, we will see what happens in one final encounter.

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Meanwhile, Back at the Church…

Dallas sat dejectedly on the floor in the hallway outside the Sunday School classroom where Celine had disappeared moments before. With his legs stretched out in front of him and his head resting on his arms that were crossed on top of the box, he was the picture of discouragement.

“What am I even doing here?” he whispered. “No one can help me. I hoped someone could help me, but…”

Slowly, Dallas became aware of a shadow blocking the light from the window across the hall. He squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds and took a deep breath as he prepared himself for this newest encounter.

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Dallas looked up, not sure what to expect. He was surprised when a heavily-accented Australian voice greeted him. “G’day mate!” The tall, thin man squatting beside him said. “Name’s Alan. How’re ya goin?”

“Um…I’ve been better, I guess,” Dallas responded.

“Yeah, looks like it,” the man said. He took off the baseball cap he was wearing and stuffed it into his backpack. “Looks like you’ve got a bit of a problem there, mate.”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Dallas gave a small, humorless chuckle.

“Does the trouble have anything to do with that big old box you’re holding?”

“It has everything to do with this box,” Dallas admitted.

“How long have been carrying that thing around?” Alan asked.

“I can’t even remember.” Dallas answered. “Most of my life, I guess. Ifft’s getting heavier and heavier every day…and I don’t know what to do about it. For years, I’ve never let anybody see inside this box. I never wanted anyone to see my secrets.”

“Bummer,” Alan sympathized. “Ever try just putting it down, or letting someone help you figure out what to do with it?”

“I tried that…twice,” Dallas shot back.

“And how’d that go?”

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Dallas gave a soft snort of disgust and shook his head. “The first guy took one look and got all shocked and gave me a big lecture, and the second person tried to tell me that it wasn’t even a problem, and not to worry about it, but I KNOW this is a problem.”

“Do you really want to be free of all this?” Alan asked, motioning toward the box on Dallas’s lap.

Dallas was silent.

“Do you?” Alan asked again.

“I wish I could. I mean, I want to, but I’m not sure I can take another lecture…or someone trying to say everything is OK when it isn’t.”

“I know, mate, I know,” Alan said. “But are you game to try one more time?”

Dallas looked up doubtfully and studied Alan’s face. Could he be trusted? Or would trusting him be another mistake? Finally, he reached a decision. “OK, I’ll try…one more time,” he said.

“Good on you,” Alan responded. He reached out and grasped Dallas’s hand, pulling him to his feet. Dallas almost dropped his box, but managed to hold onto it.

The two men walked to one of the hallway windows that had a deep window ledge. “Why don’t you put the box down here and let me see what is inside it?” Alan suggested.

Dallas hesitated a moment, but finally placed the box on the ledge. With shaky hands, the young man opened the lid of the box. He stepped back, closing his eyes, ashamed of what was in there and afraid of what his new friend might say.

Alan took a long, serious look inside the box, and nodded his head. “Well mate, that is a heavy one.”

Dallas looked up in surprise. No lecture? No platitudes? This was different.

Alan continued, “There really is only one place you can go with a box of secrets like this.”

“Where is that?” Dallas asked.

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“To the cross,” Alan answered simply.

“The cross?”

“Yes, to the cross of Jesus. Why don’t you come with me a minute?”

Dallas closed up his box again and followed as Alan led him to a nearby room that had been set up as a small prayer room. In it were a bookshelf with several Bibles and hymn books, a couple chairs and a small table below a simple cross that hung on the wall. A red cloth and a white cloth was carefully arranged along the ledge at the foot of the cross.

“Why don’t you put that box down on the table?” Dallas did as Alan urged.

“That cross is just a symbol, you know. It doesn’t have any power by itself. It is what happened on the cross of Jesus so long ago that makes the difference.”

Dallas nodded. He had heard the story of the death of Jesus on the cross before.

“Now, if you are willing,” Alan suggested gently, “you can open your box right here, at the foot of the cross, and tell Jesus you don’t want to carry it anymore. Ask Him to set you free.”

Dallas studied the cross for a long moment. Then, with desperation and hope rising up together in his heart, in an act of confession, Dallas slowly opened the box, exposing the ugliness inside.

Alan smiled. “Jesus did a wonderful thing for you and me when He died on the cross. The blood He shed there covers over all our sins, all our shame, all our secrets that we carry in our boxes.” He took the red cloth that was arranged on the ledge and covered the box with it until the box could no longer be seen.

Dallas stood staring at the spot where his ugly burden had been, his eyes blurred by tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

“But Jesus didn’t stop there,” Alan continued as he pulled the white cloth over the red one. “He not only forgave us for our sins and washed away our shame, but He gave us new, clean hearts. That is what He did for you, Dallas. For you and me.”

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Dallas dropped to his knees, humbled and awed by such great love and forgiveness. Alan knelt beside him as Dallas talked with the One Who had set him free.

When at last, Dallas looked up with a light of hope and joy in his eyes, Alan helped him to his feet. They stepped back from the table and faced the cross.

“One more thing I need to tell you, mate,” Alan added. “You’re free now from your box of secrets. But later on, you may be tempted to start keeping a new one. Don’t do it. Keep close to Jesus. He died to set you free. He rose again to keep you free. With Him, you never need to carry a box of secrets again.”

Time for Reflection

As I said in an earlier post, this series isn’t really about encouraging people who are carrying their own “boxes of secrets” to open up those boxes. The main point of this series is to encourage us as the church to consider how we respond to others who let us see their boxes.

As this series concludes, I challenge you to ask yourself these questions in regards to your own response.

• Do you refuse to engage, like Andy?
• Do you react with shock and harsh judgment, like Chris?
• Do you wash over the situation, and try to reason away the seriousness, like Celine?
• Do you, like Alan, go with the person to Jesus, the only One Who can set them free? Do you respond with both parts of Jesus’ response:

 “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11b)

Box of Secrets - Dallas Meets Celine

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In the first post of this series, Andy was no help to Dallas with his box of secrets. He didn’t even try to help.

Two posts ago, we looked at Jesus’s response to a woman whose own box of secrets spilled out into the street for all to see.

In the previous post, Dallas allows Chris to get a glimpse into his box. The reaction was not pretty.

Let’s return to the church where Dallas—quite shaken—is heading to Sunday School class, still carrying his heavy load.

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Meanwhile, Back at the Church…

Dallas sighed as he watched Chris disappear around the corner. His stomach tied up in knots, Dallas stood outside the classroom door, hesitating to go in.

“Dallas?” a kind voice called softly. “Are you OK?”

Dallas leaned against the wall. He braced his foot on the wall behind him and balanced the box on his knee. Shaking his head, he mumbled, “Not really.”

“Is it this box?” Celine asked, pushing her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. “It looks really heavy.”

“It is,” Dallas agreed.

“Why not just put it down?” Celine suggested kindly.

“Can’t do it,” Dallas said.

“Can’t…or won’t?”, the young woman's voice was gentle.

“Both, I guess. There is some stuff in here I don’t want seen. I have to keep it with me.”

“Have you ever tried to let someone see inside?” Celine asked. “If you did, maybe someone could help you.”

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“Actually, I did try that. I let someone see what is inside. He got all shocked and angry, and gave me this big lecture. I don’t ever want to go through that again.”

“Why not try me?” Celine offered. Dallas raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Seriously,” Celine continued. “I don’t shock easily, and I never lecture.”

Dallas looked doubtfully at the petite woman, contemplating her offer. “I don’t know. I mean…I don’t know.”

“Come on, Dallas. You can trust me.”

“Well—OK,” Dallas finally agreed. “But promise you won’t be shocked.”

“I promise,” Celine reassured him. “And no lectures.”

Dallas opened the box. He took a step back, drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.

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Celine leaned over the box and looked inside. “Oh Dallas,” she said with a smile in her voice. “This isn’t so bad. Lots of people have things like this in their lives. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

As Dallas looked at Celine, his forehead creased into deep lines over the bridge of his nose.

“Seriously, Dallas. You need to stop worrying about this. You’re making yourself miserable over nothing. My advice to you is to just forget all of this and go one with your life. It isn’t even a problem.” Celine patted Dallas kindly on the shoulder. With a glance back over her shoulder, she opened the classroom door and disappeared inside.

“Not a problem?” Dallas muttered as he closed up the flaps. With the heavy burden in his arms, Dallas leaned against the wall again, and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor. Crossing his arms on the box, he rested his forehead on this hands. “Believe me, I KNOW this is a problem.

Kindly Captivity

There is a big weakness in Celine’s response, especially when dealing with sin committed by our friend, even moreso than when dealing with sins committed against our friend. This response, while appearing to be very kind, does nothing to actually deal with the problem.

If we compare this response to that of Jesus, we see that it is very strong when it comes to the first part. This response clearly conveys the idea of:

Neither do I condemn you.

It does nothing with the second part:

Go and leave your life of sin.

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Time for Reflection

What do you think about Celine’s response?

1. How does Celine’s response compare to Jesus’s response?
2. Was Celine helpful to Dallas? Why or why not?
3. How does Celine’s response compare to your own when confronted with someone else’s “box of secrets”?

 “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11b)

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In our next post, the final one in this series, Dallas will meet Ted. How will he resond to Dallas? Will his response be like Jesus? How does your own response compare?

Box of Secrets - Dallas Meets Chris

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Two posts ago, we met Dallas, a young man heavily burdened with a “box of secrets”. Dallas comes to church with this box, unsure what to do with it, feeling very out of place because of it, and reluctant to let anyone see what is inside. Andy was no help. Like many church-goers, he was too busy with his own program to get involved in the messiness of someone else’s life.

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In the last post, we saw how Jesus responded to a woman whose “box of secrets” had finally spilled open for everyone to see. Jesus gave this response. “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” The woman left that place forgiven, freed, and with hope that a new life was possible.

Today, we will return to Dallas standing there in the church hallway with his box of secrets. Will he find the help he so desperately needs?

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Meanwhile Back at the Church...

With a deep breath, Dallas shifted the weight of his box and trudged on down the hallway. Just then, Chris approached from the opposite direction. His shiny black shoes and expensive suit proclaimed him as a successful businessman.

Chris frowned critically as he approached Dallas. “What in the world are you doing?” Chris asked, motioning toward the box.

“What does it look like I'm doing?” Dallas retorted sarcastically.

“Don't get mad at me! You're the one who is making life difficult for yourself,” Chris shot back with a small smirk.

“I know.  I know.,” Dallas admitted with a sigh. “But I've been carrying this box around for so long that I've almost forgotten what it is like to live without it.”

“What's in the box anyway?” Chris asked curiously.

After a long silence Dallas finally answered. “It's something I've never shown anyone before, but I can't keep going on like this.” He hesitated a moment longer. “If I let you see what's in the box, Chris,…maybe you can help me figure out what to do with it.”

“OK, why not. Let’s see what you’ve got,” Chris agreed.

Dallas set his burden on a nearby window ledge and hesitantly opened up the box. “Here.  I'll show it to you.”

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The businessman looked into the box and gasped. “Dallas, I never imagined you would do something like this!  I thought you were a Christian…or at least pretty good guy. I know I’ve seen you around church every once in a while. You shouldn't be like that!  Remember what the Bible says.  "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone.  The new has come."  You've just got to stop this, man! That's all there is to it. You should be past all that by now. Stop living in the past and get on with life!”

Chris made a hasty retreat from Dallas and his box of secrets. Dallas closed up his box, and silently picked up his burden once more.

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The Judge Condemns

In this story, Chris represents one possible response that can be encountered in the church when people take the risk to let someone see their “boxes of secrets”. I have to give Chris credit for at least trying to offer help. But his reaction to whatever ugliness was in Dallas’s “box of secrets” so shocked him that he failed to respond as Jesus did to the woman caught in adultery.

Chris got the second part right. He was really strong on “Go and leave your life of sin.” That is, indeed an important message for Dallas to hear. But he completely missed “Neither do I condemn you.”

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Time For Reflection

What do you think about Chris’s response?

• How does Chris’s response compare to Jesus’s response?
• Was Chris helpful at all to Dallas?
• How does Chris's response compare with the way you would respond when faced with someone else’s “box of secrets”?

 “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11b)

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In our next post, Dallas will meet Celine, a lady from the church. Will she respond differently than Chris did? Will she respond like Jesus? How will her response compare with yours?

Box of Secrets - The Example of Jesus

If you remember from the previous post, Dallas’s box of secrets stands for things he has done that he doesn’t want others to know about, or it could represent things others have done to him that he prefers to hide from the world. Unfortunately, the longer he carries the secrets, the heavier they get.

The point of this series isn’t so much to encourage people to share their boxes of secrets as it is to help us as members of the church to seriously consider how we react to people we meet who for one reason or other allow us a glimpse into their boxes.

Jesus Meets a Woman With a Box

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Jesus had an encounter with a woman whose box of secrets had spilled out into the street. We read her story in John 8:3-11. This woman had been caught in the act of adultery. In the culture of the time, the penalty for this sin was death by stoning. The teachers of the law and religious leaders brought her and their accusations to Jesus in an effort to trap him.

Jesus told them that whoever had never sinned could be the first to throw a stone at her. Then he calmly bent down to write in the dust on the ground, leaving them to examine their own hearts.

One by one, the accusers disappeared. A lot could be said about their motivation...and their departure from the scene, but I’m not so concerned with them right now. I want to focus on Jesus’s response to the woman.

When all the religious leaders had gone, Jesus looked up at the woman and asked, “Where is everyone? Isn’t there anyone left to accuse you?”

“No one, sir,” the woman answered, not daring to look at the one man who could claim the right to throw the first stone.

With deep compassion, Jesus answered, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now, and leave your life of sin.”

Suddenly, the woman had a world of hope opened up to her. With those two sentences, Jesus set her free.

Jesus sets an example for us to follow as our lives touch the lives of others with their boxes of secrets. 

Time for Reflection

•  Take a moment to consider how Jesus responded to the woman and her box of secrets. 
• Consider how you tend to respond to the boxes of secrets of other people in your life. How does your response match up with the response of Jesus?

In the next post, we will see what happens when a man named Chris meets Dallas in the hallway at church and gets a peek into the secrets contained in Dallas’s box. 

Box of Secrets

Dallas peeked through the door into the crowded hallway. “Should I go in, or go back home, or go…someplace else?” Dallas debated the question for several moments as he watched the crowd of smiling church-goers hurrying to their various Sunday School classes. “Look at them,” he thought. “They seem to be so all-together. Not like me. Not like me at all.” Dallas heaved a tired sigh, and shook his head. “What am I even doing here?” he muttered. “Why did I bother to come? I don’t belong here.”

Leaning against the wall just outside the door, Dallas closed his eyes. The fact was that even though he didn’t feel like he belonged, somehow he knew he needed to be there. “I need answers,” the young man finally whispered. “I need help. Nothing else I have tried has worked. Maybe, maybe I can find the help I need here…at church.” 

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The young man struggled to open the door as he balanced a box on one hip. It was a rather ordinary cardboard box, about the size of a college dorm refrigerator, and was obviously filled with something quite heavy. Dallas got one foot into the opening, and with his shoulder, carefully forced the door open wide enough to allow him to pass through with the heavy box.

He had barely made it halfway down the hallway when he heard a familiar voice. “Hey Dallas! Good to see you!” It was Andy, one of his co-workers. “I didn’t know you came to this church.”

“Yeah, well, here I am.” Dallas shifted his load uncomfortably.

“What’s up with the box?” Andy asked casually.

“Nothing much,” Dallas answered without meeting Andy's eyes. “Just some stuff.”

Andy patted the top of the box, causing it to shift a bit in Dallas’s arms. “Looks heavy,” he commented.

“I suppose,” Dallas replied.

“Why don’t you just put it down for a bit and give yourself a rest?” Andy suggested.

“Oh I couldn’t do that,” Dallas stated flatly. “I never put this down.”

“How come?” Andy asked.

“If I put it down, someone might look inside it and see what’s in there…and I don’t want anyone to see what is in this box.”

“We-e-e-e-l-l-l, if that’s the way you want it, I guess that’s up to you. Sorry, I gotta go now. Catch you later.” With that, Andy hurried on down the hallway to find his Sunday School class, leaving Dallas standing alone in the middle of the now-nearly-empty hallway with his box of secrets weighing him down.

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In the next several posts, we will be talking about secrets. In this story, Dallas could be anyone. He could be someone who hasn’t been to church in years, if ever, and does not yet have a relationship with Jesus. Or he could be someone who has attended church for years, but has been lost in the crowd. He may even have trusted Jesus as Savior, but there are some things in his life that he has not yet allowed to come into the light. In any case, these things weigh him down in a way that is every bit as real as a heavily loaded refrigerator box.

What might be in the box? What secrets might Dallas be carrying that weigh so heavily on him? Perhaps the secrets are things he has done of which he is ashamed - his own sin. Perhaps the secrets are things that others did to him that wounded and scarred him. Most likely, it is a combination of the two. 

In any case, Dallas has come to the church in hopes of finding help. Over the next several posts, we will do two things:

1. We will take a look at THE CHURCH through Dallas’s eyes. We will meet several people—four in all—who represent different reactions someone carrying a “box of secrets” might encounter in the church. We have already met one of these people. Andy sees that Dallas is struggling with something, but he doesn’t even try to offer any help. If Dallas wants to carry around his box of secrets, that’s his business. No need for Andy to get involved. 
2. We will also take a look at an encounter Jesus had with a woman whose box of secrets had just spilled out into the street. (John 8:1-12) We will see how His response compares to the responses we might encounter—or make ourselves. 

I hope that we all will take time to reflect on our own responses to others with their “boxes of secrets”.


Time for Reflection

• Imagine yourself meeting up with someone who does not yet know Jesus. This person is carrying a “box of secrets”. How do you feel toward that person? Wary? Sympathetic? Critical? Compassionate?

• What if the person with a “box of secrets” is someone in your church who has been a believer for a good while, but is still carrying burdens from the past? Are your feelings toward that person different than your feelings for the one who has not yet trusted in Jesus? Why or why not?

• Ask Jesus to help you grow more like Him as you reach out to people carrying their own “boxes of secrets”.