“This is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” (Jn 3:19-21)
There is certainly a universal truth, is there not, that people do not want to get caught doing wrong.
One would think that if a person does not want to get caught doing wrong that the best thing to do would be to do right.
That is just too simple, however.
People spend entire lives trying to manufacture ways to do wrong without getting caught. I will let you in on a little secret, they are not too good at it.
I remember many years ago when I was a chaplain at one of our state’s prisons. I was speaking with one of the inmates about why he was in prison. He told me about how he did so many things in his past. He was really good at them, he said. He robbed many places and many people. No one was better than him during his time.
I stopped him with one question.
“If you were so good, how did you get caught?”
He did not know what to say.
Now, we could chuckle or laugh at that. However, we are all going to get “caught” one day, even if we elude any authority here on earth, even if no one ever knows what we have said or done or left unsaid or undone.
We are going to get caught because we will have to face our Lord, Jesus Christ and there, all will be exposed.
Are we ready for that grand revelation? Will we stand there in fear? In shame? In mortal embarrassment? Do we become concerned or frightened about what the Lord will uncover and expose?
If so, we need to change our lives.
FAITH ACTION: Is there something in your life that that shames you, something that you would rather not have exposed? If so, that is hindering you from a deeper relationship with God. There is a very simple solution to that problem: confession. Spend some time today making a good examination of conscience and ask yourself if you need to plan to go to confession any time in the near future. If so, make a firm purpose to go. If not, celebrate that you are using God’s gifts and grace wisely.