Have you ever erected a wall to shield yourself from some personal pain? Rick Warren imparts in his bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life (Zondervan, 2002), that God never wastes a hurt. He writes, “If you really desire to be used by God, you must understand a powerful truth: the very experiences that you have resented or regretted most in life—the ones you’ve wanted to hide and forget—are the experiences God wants to use to help others.” Building a wall doesn’t protect you. It imprisons.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17 Paul writes, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  Did you get that? What does that say again? FREEDOM!  The Holy Spirit liberates you from the walls that you build..... if you allow Him!  In this chapter in 2 Corinthians, Paul relates how Moses hid his face behind a veil so the Israelites would not see the glory of God fading in his life. Do you hide behind a mask so others will not see your pain?  It is that pain the Lord wishes to use in your life. That pain is not meant to imprison you. It is meant to set you free! It is meant to be used in your life to help others. But it will never happen if you hold the veil firmly in place. If you build walls you not only hold your pain from others, you block the ability of the Holy Spirit to reach into you heart. It is in opening up and giving yourself away that you discover the healing presence of the Holy Spirit, flowing through you, healing others and healing yourself.

"We are not like Moses," Paul imparts, "who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:13-18).

 What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life?  Have you imprisoned your pain, your inner struggles, your questions behind walls meant to protect? When you turn to the Lord the veil should be taken away. Be vulnerable, and allow that old covenant to be removed. Trust the Holy Spirit to take care of you when you drop that veil. He will. You will be made to be more like Him. You will be set free to discover who He knows you to be.

Lynn Lacher