Little Patrick stands in the middle of a room that looks like a small tornado just passed through its middle. His mom steps in and is aghast at what she sees and demands to know, "What happened here?" Patrick stands there, half facing his mom, seemingly dumbstruck, but his eyes give him away. They dart to the left and then to the right, then slowly roll skyward as if the answer to his mom's question is on the walls or the ceiling. What is going on here should be plain to any parent with eyes of discernment to see. Little Patrick is calculating. Calculating you ask? Yes, calculating! Calculating what? His mom didn't ask him a math question? No, not that kind of calculating. Patrick is calculating risks and benefits. He is calculating, "Should I tell a lie and if I do what are the risks involved?"
We've all seen this familiar body language play out, we just don't always call it what it is. We think, "Ah, Patrick, got you, and now you are too embarrassed to even speak." Rubbish, give Patrick and his ilk time enough and the germinating thought will inevitably come out in the form of a lie. We see this even in the adult world, the eyes roll up and the glance moves away from the gaze of the questioner. Get ready a lie is about to be born in speech.
In the adult world the risks vary from losing a job to gaining a reputation as a snitch if you tell the truth, or many other potential outcomes. In the child's world the thoughts aren't quite as deep, but in the end the goal is the same for both the adult and the child, they just don't want to suffer the consequences of their actions.
Few things give evidence to the sin nature in our lives like lying. It was present in the Garden of Eden when the first sin occurred and it has accompanied every sin ever since. That's right. Every sin that has ever taken place in the history of mankind has always been coupled with a lie. The lie takes different forms and rationale, but it is always there. There is the lie that convinces us to go ahead with the act because, "you can get away with it, no one will know." Or how about the lie of, "It's OK everyone else is doing it." And then there is the one that says, "If you knew what he did to me..." or "Serves him right...", thus giving us permission to hate in a fashion that God does not permit. The fact is, lying is the most pervasive sin known to mankind and you will see it work in your life, and the life of your children, or grandchildren, or parents or grandparents, etc.
It is said: "Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action reap a habit. Sow a habit reap a lifestyle." It is this lifestyle that Jesus came to save us from. While the single act sin will always be present in our lives from one degree to another as we continue in the process of sanctification, it is not this single act that ultimately leads to God's judgement against us. It is sin the lifestyle that does that. The conscious choice not to obey God and lead a lifestyle he must and will condemn. The lie that says, "There is no God," or "I can live the way I want, after-all God is love and will not send me to hell," or "What does it matter, all religions are the same anyway." There is a reason why Jesus proclaims himself as, "the way, the TRUTH, and the life." (John 14:6) Truth is the only thing that allows God's love to live and work in our lives. Anything else is just a lie. Theologian Kevin Van Hoozer has defined sin as: "The denial of truth." I think that pretty well sums it up. Piece it all together. If we deny truth, we deny God's love the opportunity to live in us, thus we deny Jesus. Look at sin in the world around you and you will see the denial of truth (the lie) at work.
So the next time little Patrick looks skyward after being asked the question, "What happened here?" Let him know you can read his mind (through his body language) and tell him, I can see the lie about to come out. Let's have the truth and I will help you fight the lie.
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