The Bible says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16 NIV).

Do you want to be emotionally healthy? The first step in that process is confessing your sins to God.

But to get over your sin and get on with your life—to be emotionally healthy—you need to take a second step. You need to tell someone else about your sin.

You may ask, “Why does God want me to drag somebody else into this?” Here’s why: God knows that the root of your problem is relational.

You often don’t even realize that your broken relationships with other people are the root of your problems. Instead of being honest with others, you disguise who you really are. You pretend you have it all together—when everybody knows you don’t. You act like everything is just fine—when it’s not.

That behavior isolates you from other people. It prevents intimacy. And it keeps you from the deepest level of love. You cannot love fully with hidden sin in your heart.

You are only as sick as your secrets. The fact is, the more you hide, the sicker you get. On the other hand, revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. When you find someone who you can trust—who listens to you and shares with you—you know what happens? You find that they have problems too.

There’s something about telling another person that releases the pressure valve. When you shine the light on your secret, suddenly it loses its power over you.

If you want healing, you’ve got to stop concealing. What’s the thing in your life you don’t want anybody to know about? That’s the area where God wants to give you the most grace, mercy, and healing.