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?
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.
ReplyDeleteIt'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.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jason for your comment.
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