Secret Sins
Jeannine Sawall
“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and
renounces them finds mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
Walking along the beach, I was enjoying
the morning sun, a slight breeze and the conversation of my walking partner
when we suddenly noticed several dark splotches in the water. The “splotches”
turned out to be a small type of stingray called a skate. The skates also seemed
to be enjoying a morning at the beach. Every once in awhile, one of them would
break away from the group they were swimming with, catch a wave and body surf
into shore. It was fun to share the morning with them.
As my friend and I moved away from
these creatures, she asked me if I still planned on taking a paddle board
lesson later that week. I told her it was still in the plans. She expressed her
hesitation after seeing the skates. She asked, “You still want to take a lesson
even after seeing all those creatures in the water?” I told her that whether I
saw the creatures that morning or not, they were still in the water. I wasn’t
going to let those skates come between me and my lesson.
As we continued walking, it came to
me that oftentimes as Christians, we consider sins we can plainly see (promiscuity,
addiction, murder, adultery…the list could go on) as serious sins. They are
obvious to anyone and, therefore, more ungodly. However, just because others
can’t openly see our sins, doesn’t mean they aren’t there, lurking below the
surface, coming between us and the Lord.
The Bible teaches that any sin - -
obvious in-your-face sins and those concealed from anyone’s sight - - carry the
same guilt. All sin is serious and interferes with our relationship with the
Lord. It doesn’t matter if it’s hatred or murder, lustful thoughts or adultery,
a white lie or stealing; sin is sin whether kept hidden or acted on openly. Just
because no one else may see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
The fact is that the ocean is full
of sea creatures. It would be easy to live in a world where I can pretend if I
don’t see them, they don’t exist. However, it’s impossible to live that kind of
Christian life. There is no secret sin because God sees below the surface. Nothing
is hidden from Him. Thankfully, believers are given the promise that God
forgives any sin we acknowledge to Him. When we keep our relationship honest
with God, He’ll take us deeper than we expected, and we won’t worry about
getting in the water with Him.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What sins are you keeping hidden?
2. What stops you from going deeper with God?
FURTHER
READING:
Jeannine is a
wife and mother of four active boys. She works in the property management
business. Jeannine serves in the Oakwood Cafe and is actively involved in
ministry to those walking through grief.
