Happy are you, Hester

Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!

— Nathaniel Hawthorne (Scarlet Letter pg. 131)

These are the words that followed from Minister Arthur Dimmesdale to parishioner Hester Prynne — the woman whom he impregnated secretly. The minister and Hester had committed adultery, resulting in her pregnancy. Not wanting his fine reputation ruined by this mistake, the Minister had not confessed to his sin, whereas Hester Prynne was made to wear a scarlet letter representing that she had fallen, was reprobate, and subsequently was publicly shamed.

Yet, in this conversation, the minister sees something in Hester’s eyes that he doesn’t have — freedom. Whereas she has suffered as a result of her public confession, the minister, never confessing, was tormented by his shame and guilt in secret. There was no freedom, no peace, no contentment. To be seen as who he truly was, even by the one who held him the most guilty, was a welcome relief compared to the feeling of an imposter.

We long to be known, and our secret guilt tortures us on the inside. We violate our souls when we hide sin. If you hide long enough, you become a different person altogether. Someone you don’t recognize. Someone you have to push down and deny in order to exist each day. Confession truly is good for the soul because it is only in our confession that we agree with God about our state. And only in agreeing with God do we find freedom, peace, and contentment. I have seen people saved, and I have seen people grow. I have seen folks rejoice, and folks saddened beyond compare. But never have I seen a person more free than a person who confesses to wrong. Whether found out or voluntary — to be seen as you truly are is an unbeatable experience. It is ugly at first, but there is a weight lifted, a burden thrown off, and a deep joy that sets in when a person confesses.

1 John 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Happy are you, Hester.