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?