I have dandruff. It’s not something I usually broadcast because I was pretty embarrassed at first, but here we are. I haven’t always had it. It seemed to start about a year ago. At first it was pretty small. I couldn’t really tell unless I was really looking closely or there was an occasional bigger flake.

When it started, I had two options: I could either ignore it and hope others didn’t notice and it didn’t get worse and improved on its own, or I could start to treat it with an anti-dandruff shampoo. At the time, all I knew was this one hair care brand that had an anti-dandruff product and I just didn’t like the way their shampoo felt or smelled.

I also was embarrassed by the idea of purchasing an anti-dandruff shampoo because the checkout people at the store would know I had dandruff. So I didn’t buy anything and I didn’t treat the issue.

But one morning I was fixing my hair and it was the worst it had ever been. Flakes everywhere. It was so bad I ended up skipping church. I was so embarrassed — there’s no way everyone wouldn’t have seen it from a mile away and I couldn’t let that happen.

So I started an online grocery order and searched for “anti-dandruff” and some other brands popped up. I did just a bit of research and found one I was interested in and placed the order. And I love it. I still use it every time I wash my hair. Because that’s part of the thing about dandruff – it might eventually go away, but it’s more likely to just come back every so often and it’s best kept under control by using the anti-dandruff shampoo even when it looks like the flakes are gone.

We have the same options when dealing with sin and temptations to sin. When we recognize it as a problem, or when it’s pointed out to us as a problem, we have two choices. We can choose to ignore the problem and allow it to continue and get worse, or we can seek help through prayer and by reaching out to others.

And some sin issues we struggle with can be more “embarrassing” to ask for help with because we’re concerned about what people will think of us — like how I was feeling when I had to buy the anti-dandruff shampoo. But it’s a much bigger issue to walk around with sin untreated.

Find someone who will be your accountability partner when you face those temptations, whether that be a parent, a pastor, a Bible study leader, a friend or a sibling. Don’t search for a perfect Christian, because you won’t find one. Just go to a Christian you trust and see evidence of how they are growing in their relationship with Jesus. And then be that accountability partner for them – don’t let it be a one-way street.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).