Secret Sins

Unbelievable, really, what some of us believe.

When I was a child we had “bins” in our kitchen that contained flour and sugar. As a child, I had little use for either of them. So I thought.

One of the great memories of my childhood was the tent my Dad erected in the back yard. It was a place where many of the children in our neighborhood would gather to talk and hide, share secrets and snacks.
Sunday afternoon family “get-together” was a regular occurrence.  Once, after a short discussion about the “fun” of smoking, we came to the conclusion that we were old enough to smoke. If it was OK for our parents, it was OK for us. There was only one problem: we had no tobacco, no paper and no matches. No problem.

I went inside for some matches and newspaper while a friend went into our garden and collected some “silk” from several ears of corn. That would serve as our tobacco. So, we carefully rolled the silk into the paper to make cigarettes. Everything was going well.

I decided to be the first to “light-up.” When I tried to inhale, the paper burst into flames and singed my eyebrows. “Teeman” had the solution: “Run in to the kitchen and rub sugar over your eyebrows.” That, he promised, would hide the “evidence” of my “accident.”

Unfortunately, my Dad came into the kitchen - and there I was: head deep inside the sugar bin. And, of course, nothing I said made sense or hid the truth.

“A man’s ways are in full view of the Lord.”

Prayer:  It’s difficult, Lord, to hide anything from anybody, especially You. May we live with nothing to hide. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today:  Proverbs 5:21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.