Says, “You Have Something on Your Face”

My beautiful, smart, strong-willed son met the disciplinarian of elementary school on his second full day of school. Yes, the SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL! He did not get taken into her office though. She told him he wouldn't like going into her office, but she lectured him in the hall. Hopefully enough to make a good impression on a certain kindergartner. I tell you this because as part of his punishment at home, he lost his electrical privileges – no TV and no CD player for most of the weekend. On Saturday, he was outside playing when I called him into supper. Pearce made a bead line straight to the bathroom – BTW, THIS IS NOT THE NORM. I met him coming out of the bathroom. He had changed clothes trying to hide the evidence, but it was still splattered all over his face and hair and smeared on his arms and legs.

"Pearce, what were you doing outside?"

"Nuffin. Just playin."

"Why did you change clothes?"

"I was hot and sweaty."

"Pearce, did you get into some paint?"

Pause. "Yes, ma'am."

"What did you paint?"

Another pause as if wondering what to confess to. "The gate."

We went and ate supper, but he barely ate a thing. I put him in the tub and scrubbed and scrubbed, but the paint just wasn't coming off.

My husband lay down in the bed with Pearce that night and started asking questions about his "paint job." "Son, did you paint my four wheeler?"

Surprised and shocked, Pearce said, "No, sir. I wouldn't do that." And then he confessed to another item he painted. Come to find out Pearce had also painted some of the driveway, the house, and a few other things.

"Pearce, did you use the paint in the white can or the black?"

"Black." Patrick looked up at me and said, "That one's oil-based." (For those of you who don't paint, the oil-based paint does not come off.) Pearce wore his paint to school for the next week.

He is so clever. I know he's just being all boy, but as I was thinking about this whole incident it paralleled sin in a Christian's life. Our sin starts with one thing like Pearce's conversation with the disciplinarian, but often leads to another which can sometimes seem totally unrelated like Pearce's paint job.

Then we try to change or "fix it," so we don't get caught, but God always sees. We are wearing the flakes of sin all over our face but our clothes look fine. We think what we are showing the world is nice clean clothes, but people in the world aren't stupid. They know. They see. They see us wearing our sin and trying to hide it. How are we any different than they are? Instead of trying to conceal our sin, why don't we confess it and be honest. Got a problem with honesty? Got a problem with eating? Got a problem with spending too much? Got a problem with keeping someone's trust? Got a problem with being critical? Got a problem with being exclusive and judging others? Trust me, everybody else knows. It's all over your face. If you don't think so, look at your girlfriend, can you see her sin on her face? Living a life that is pleasing to God, living a life that is transparent showing "warts and all," and learning how to receive forgiveness and overcome – now that's what the world needs to see more of. That's what our government needs more of. That's what our churches need more of. Let it begin with me.