One of my earliest memories is of a time that I told a deliberate lie to Mama. She was mopping the dining room floor with one of those old timey string mops and a big metal bucket of soapy water. In the background of my memory are two young boys that Mama was babysitting, though I have no idea who they were or who they belonged to. I have no memory of my older siblings being there, so I guess they must have been in school that day. I also don't remember my youngest brother being around, so perhaps he was down for a nap. Something happened that interrupted Mama's mopping, and I remember her specifically telling me to stay away from the mop bucket when she left the room. I disobeyed her and spilled that whole bucket of sudsy water all over the dining room floor. When Mama came back into the room and asked me what happened, I lied and blamed those little boys for the mess. To this day I can remember the icky feeling that entered my little heart, the sense of guilt and wrongdoing. You might say that in that moment my heart became divided from Mama's heart. My sin, my deceit, built an instant wall inside my little heart. To keep from being found out I would need to keep on lying, which only served to fortify the wall and the division I felt inside. To come clean and be completely transparent and honest would tear down that wall and I could live in peaceful unity with my Mama once again.
God's heart is for us to live in a state of peaceful unity with Him. He made a way for that to be possible for each one of us. He knew we couldn't achieve this through our own self effort or good works. So, He sent His Son to live the sinless life that is impossible for you and I to live. His Son then died to take the punishment for our sins, all of our sins, making it possible for us to live in peaceful reconciliation with our holy Father God. Our part is in the "coming clean" about our sins, in being honest and open with God about all of our struggles and sin, all of our doubts and fears. A hidden heart is a divided heart, a walled up heart. An open and honest heart is undivided.
(Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, June 25th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)
still following,
still following,
"A hidden heart is a divided heart, a walled up heart. An open and honest heart is undivided." This is why I read and write devotions-so we can all be open with each other and God. Thank you for sharing on the #sundaythoughts link up on this beautiful Sunday!
ReplyDeleteYes, that really is a great benefit of writing!
DeleteA clean heart is the only one that feels good. God has shown me that even the little white lies are sometimes harmful and sometimes not good even when we think we're doing a good thing. I've found that sometimes children don't know how to come back from a lie, but so true your post that once they know that it is not the end of the world they can feel at ease to fess up and once we feel God's Love shown with his son we can come clean and have a clean heart. So enjoy how you put things in perspective with your posts. Thanks for sharing. Good read that was needed today. Have a blessed week.
ReplyDeletePeabea@Peabea Scribbles
Yes, a clean heart truly is the only one that feels good! What freedom!
DeleteI'm hoping I can have an open, undivided heart, and to teach my kids to have one too. Thanks so much for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteYes, that is so important! To teach our children that they can and should be open and honest without fear.
DeleteThis is a precious reminder, such a gift from God, this morning, as i know I'll struggle with being open, with being undivided. Yet you powerfully reminded us to look at Jesus, to look at the fact that we are covered with His perfect righteousness, and we don't have to hide anymore.
ReplyDeleteAmen! We don't have to hide anymore! What freedom there is in that!
DeleteOh, my! I have a memory similar to yours and it still pains me to this day. I stole $10 out of my Nana's purse once because I wanted to buy some earrings. It made me so sick I finally confessed. Being truthful isn't always convenient, but I've always been thankful for a convicting Spirit. Have a blessed week!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how those early memories of our own sinfulness still sting!
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