Read: Psalm 51:10-13; Number 32:23; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9

Think: My daughters were growing up and it was time to sell their matching little-girl bedroom set. I listed it on craigslist and was happy to unload the set on the first person with cash and a pickup. While the new owner was moving the dresser out from against the wall, I was surprised to find remnants of deteriorated and discolored children’s Flinstones Vitamins. Speckling the carpet between wall and dresser were at least a hundred of them. Their discoloration gave a clue that each of them had at one time been in the mouth of a child, but had mysteriously found their final resting place behind the dresser.

There had been wrinkled noses and pursed lips at the suggestion of taking the vitamins some months back, but there would be no compromise. I would not be swayed. The children would be healthy! The vitamins would be eaten! I just didn’t know that they would not be swallowed.

I suspected my eldest, the pickiest eater among them. She soon confessed when confronted with the little pile of malformed Freds and Wilmas. She had taken great care in hiding the stone-age characters, and though sorry she’d been caught, didn’t seem to regret her decision at all. She even looked a little proud of that vita-pile. Proud she’d gotten by with it for so long.

The thing is, it takes a lot of work to hide something well. Even if we get by with hiding it for awhile, the scripture says, “Your sin will find you out.” (Number 32:23) And this might be ok, if all we were hiding were vitamins behind dressers. But we grown-ups have highly developed means of denying, avoiding, projecting and excusing the not-so-pretty truth about the state of our hearts. Whether we’re hiding a deep insecurity, anger, jealousy or unforgiveness, the more we work at hiding it, the bigger mess we make. Sooner or later, the truth always leaks out. Like something toxic seeping through the seams until a trail of toxic waste dribbles behind us everywhere we go. Pretty gross, really. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

The Flinstone Fiasco came out alright in the end. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” And mercy was given on that day. The proclamation that all children must eat Flinstone vitamins was renounced, an alternative to vitamins was created, honesty was reinstated, and peace in the land was restored.

The bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). This is great news! That means honesty, not perfection, is all we really need. We just need to be honest about who we are and where we’re at and God takes care of the rest.

Do: Confess the thing God has revealed to you to a friend. Ask him/her for prayer.

Pray: God, please make me aware of the things about myself I try to hide. Help me to recognize the shame, bitterness or fear that keeps me from being totally surrendered and honest to you. Thank you, Lord.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.