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“When no one else sees or knows what I'm doing, temptation is far more enticing.”

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God  (p. 205). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Have you found that so?  Larry says, “But if I know I'm being watched, I'll most often do the right thing, even if I don't want to. That's why we slow down when we see a cop in the rearview mirror. Why a sailor's language cleans up in the presence of Mom. Why the kids never steal a cookie when the whole family is in the kitchen.”

He goes on, “Unfortunately, our culture's love affair with privacy has elevated it to the status of a divine right. The result is that we now have large islands of secrecy and anonymity where we used to have transparency. It's supposedly no one's business what I watch or download in the privacy of my home. Child psychologists tell me my children's rooms are off limits. Lawyers tell me I can pay for my kids' college tuition, but I have no right to access their grades or medical records.”

But then he says, “The Bible knows no such right to privacy, especially when it's used as a cloak to hide things we'd never do if others were watching. In fact, the Bible promises the opposite, a coming day when everything will be brought to light, scrutinized, and judged.”

Larry says, “Few of us fall apart spiritually overnight. It usually begins with a series of small steps and compromises. But if my life is a closed book, so private that I reveal what I want to reveal only when I'm comfortable revealing it, these small steps and compromises will mostly remain unknown and unchallenged. One group, however, almost always notices the first signs of even the slightest step in the wrong direction. It's the people we live and spend the most time with. They might not be able to pinpoint what's wrong, but they intuitively know something is. Unfortunately, our social conventions don't give these folks permission to speak up early. It's not cool to butt in unless you've been invited in.”

God has given you a family to help you.  Be open with them.  They can protect you from yourself.


So what is it you are hiding?

Comments

  1. It's enticing because we can be free of the shame that we shouldn't suffer anyhow. It's fear of judgment that makes us hide. We shouldn't be afraid, since God is a righteous judge, and I don't think he cares about most of the things people judge each other for. Most of the time, we judge others who do things we wish we could do if only we were as free from our shame.

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  2. It's enticing because we can be free of the shame that we shouldn't suffer anyhow. It's fear of judgment that makes us hide. We shouldn't be afraid, since God is a righteous judge, and I don't think he cares about most of the things people judge each other for. Most of the time, we judge others who do things we wish we could do if only we were as free from our shame.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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