of wearing scarlet letters

John 8:32--"...the truth shall make you free."

It has been one of my favorite books since I first immersed myself fully into the lives of its characters...Hester Prynne-the openly shamed, the "thought" to be upright man-her companion in sin, Pearl-the feisty child born as a result.

She wore a scarlet letter for all to see, a sign to all of her most secret sin. Evidence of his sin, though seen as her belly would swell with child, was never worn by him. She carried the guilt and the child. He lived well respected by all, but tortured inside. She told no one the identity of her beloved Pearl's father.

She was jailed, rebuked, cast out, spoken about, shamed publicly and through it all she found freedom. After all, once they did all that to her, what else could they do? When there was no more pressure to perform tasks, fulfill expected duties, show up at the observances set by man...when all of that pressure to perform was gone, for she could no longer impress anyone, then she found that she could just be. She could finally be who she was supposed to be. Though she wore that scarlet letter, people found her anytime there was a need. They soon learned that this woman donning the letter A was the one they could call when there was sickness or tragedy. She showed up because that was who she was. The letter was just a mark showing she committed a sin. She wore it past the time they would have made her. She was not afraid of it or shamed by it anymore. She knew everyone else had one too...they just didn't display them. What freedom is found in the exposure...in the acknowledgement of human frailty!

Then there was the man. Sad, heavy laden man. He longed for the freedom, but knew in the telling so many would be let down. Certainly they would turn from God if they knew about his great trespass. So it lay hidden, for years, even as the child he fathered grew before his eyes. Him not being able to call her his own because of fear...fear of the people. His scarlet letter was there too. It was just hidden...there is no freedom when it's hidden, just burden.

I want to wear all my scarlet letters!! I love the freedom in exposure. Exposure of what is already known..."for all have sinned and fallen short". I'm sure maybe Nathaniel Hawthorne may not have intended his book to have such meaning as I take from it, but that is the beauty of a story, there can be found even more than author intends. He may have even meant it as defiance against the church at the time. But the story reveals a truth in the Christian life--there is freedom in confession and burden in concealment. Once we shed the need to maintain "our" reputations, we are free to walk under His...His reputation of grace.

Matthew 11:28-30--"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."