Sneaky Sandwiches
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me…” Psalm 139:23,24-a (KJV)
My children are grown. And thankfully, the era of sneaky sandwiches is gone.
Many years ago, our large brood of children occupied our table three times a day. Money was scarce and so was time. The year our oldest was a senior, I homeschooled several children while caring for a two-year-old and a new baby. (Now you know why my hair turned gray at a young age.)
To mass-produce quick meals, I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. And often, the baby chose that time to be hungry. Some days I resembled a circus plate-spinner in front of the stove, flipping bread while jiggling a fussy infant just a little longer.
The result was grilled cheese sandwiches burnt on one side. But this creative mama had a solution. I discovered those sandwiches looked beautiful if I served them burnt-side-down.
It worked until the children discovered my ruse. Today they still view my grilled cheese with skepticism and still sneak peeks at the underside of their bread. We can laugh about it.
Those days of too-much-to-do and too-little-time required this mom to hope for understanding. However, there is another story about stealth on a much more serious level.
You can read about Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts chapter five. This couple tried to deceive church leaders by selling a parcel of land and lying about the amount they kept back for themselves.
There would have been nothing wrong with keeping part of the profit, had they not lied about it.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with selling things. The problem came when this husband and wife tried to appear honest while covering a lie. Perhaps they wanted to appear sacrificial. In this new, first-century church, the believers had so much love toward one another that it was common to share their belongings.
And so, we might surmise that Ananias and his wife thought that God would tolerate their deception. They were doing one good thing, by giving money to the church. However, Peter knew, and God knew, that hidden sin will destroy one’s witness to others and rot his/her soul from the inside.
In a related sense, it was a relief when my children discovered my efforts to fool them.
Today, lying actions can cover many sins. Pious-sounding words and phrases sometimes cover gossiping and backbiting, especially when they include the words, "Bless their heart..." Example: "Bless her heart; she means well." Or, "Bless his heart, he just doesn't know any better."
Sanctimonious speech can be a slick oil on top of the muck of deception. But sooner or later, the truth will surface.
Eventually my children became aware of my attempt to cover burnt food. I was relieved they found out. Just as they became skeptical of my cooking skills, those watching the lives of Christians will lose faith in us and the Lord Jesus when they discover hidden sin in our lives. Our witness will be damaged. And more importantly, God will be grieved.
Dear Heavenly Father, please shine the searchlight of your Spirit into our hearts. Cleanse us from secret faults. In Christ’s name, amen.
How about you? Have you ever seen deception used to escape a touchy situation? Feel free to use the comment box below and tell us about it. Please keep comments kind.