the top 7 answers are on the board ...

confession:  i love to play games.

of course, i mean this literally. chess, checkers, parcheesi, dominoes, cards. you name it and i'm up for it. unfortunately, playing games falls into the "i'm the only one who likes to play" category in my circle of family and friends. years ago i would watch jeopardy and wheel of fortune regularly, but really ... who wants to arrange their schedule around watching television? not me!

but thanks to the world wide web, and particularly facebook, i am inundated with more games than i will ever have time to play. one of my recent faves is family feud. if you are unfamiliar with it, you can read all about it here. (what would i do without wiki?)

i was playing last night and, for the first time, i was stumped by a question. out of seven answers, i wound up with a big, fat goose egg. zippo. nada.

what was that tough question, you ask?

"name a secret that you should always keep from your spouse." 

huh? whajasay?

i sat perplexed, not knowing what to type in response. it was the wording of the question that baffled me. i can't imagine anything that "i should always keep" from gary. why would i? he's my husband. he's my best friend. we've been married for almost 16 years. why would i want to keep something from him? the thought is ludicrous - it's like saying, "it's okay to be dishonest."

finally, i gave it my best guess:  "a surprise party."  i thought that had to be one of the answers. nope.

the "correct" answers included, "weight, affairs, spending habits, dating history, and real age." the other two answers were so bizarre that i can't even remember them. people really think they need to hide this stuff? out of all the answers, there wasn't one that i haven't shared with gary. (of course, "affairs" doesn't apply!)

then i felt very sad. sad that couples would feel the need to hide things from one another. sad that the world thinks it's okay to be dishonest with the people who love you ... with those that we are bound to love - especially in marriage, "in sickness and in health, for better and for worse."

even if a mistake is made (i.e., i couldn't resist buying those clothes on sale!), isn't it better to 'fess up and deal with it? and, tragically, if an affair were to happen ... you "should" keep that from your spouse?!?!

if you can't trust your husband/wife, who can you trust?

would i want my husband to keep any of those things from me? never!

the game moved on to the next round and so did i. but my prayers remain for those who are deluded in our fallen world where lies are treated lightly as game show fodder. that is the opposite of the truth setting us free, which is what God wants for all of us.

in reality, we all sometimes feel like this ...

... and we find, in God and in the people He places in our lives, that not only do they "not run away" - but they draw closer to us and help bring us freedom from the secrets hiding in the dark. once someone is exposed in God's light, they find out a glorious truth:  there is nothing that needs to be hidden.

maybe the "secrets you should always keep" mindset is part of the reason why families feud?