I wrote in here yesterday about my sneaking a cookie under my shirt and taking to my 'office' to eat in private, so that hubby didn't see me and comment about it. I've done it more often than not, whether it be chocolate, cookies, or whatever else I wanted at that moment. Sometimes I choose just not to deal with comments. I know God sees what I'm doing - and it isn't BAD, and I really can't think of a reason why I do that. Perhaps part of it is just not listening to a comment about me eating cookies. Or chocolate. It could go back to when I was married 40 years ago. Hubby was a 'health nut' at that time. He took A-Z vitamins and worked out nearly daily. He would not 'let' me eat my snickers. (he literally would take them away from me and throw them away!) I would sometimes buy a small bag and (truth!) hide them in a dresser drawer, that when I walked by on my way to the bathroom, I could grab one and take it with me. Yes, I did that. I didn't want him telling me I couldn't have a snicker so I defied him. Now he buys snickers and dark chocolate and chocolate covered almonds and puts in my Christmas stockings!! Times certainly have changed.
The reason I wrote the above paragraph is because I read my son's blog yeserday afternoon and could not stop laughing. I had to call my little sister to read that part of the blog to her - and we laughed and laughed. As she sat hiding in her bedroom eating chocolate covered almonds she had bought at the store and didn't want her hubby to know. She was down to three left - and said she would save those for just before she went to bed. I called my daughter because I was still laughing... and she starts laughing. Seems there was one Roca left in the container on the buffet. She waited three weeks for her hubby to eat it. So she took it out of the container and put it on her desk. It sat there several days. She decided, ok, he's not going to eat it, so I will. She took one bite, and her hubby walks into the room, so she hid the rest of it under her phone. Of course he saw that action and asked what she was hiding. She showed him the half eaten Roca and told him that it was the last one and since he hadn't eaten it after all those days, she was going to. He walks over to a cabinet in the office and opens it up - to show three more packages of Roca in there. THAT was why he hadn't eaten the last one in the container. He knew he had lots more! We both had a good laugh.
But isn't that what we do. We hide things, even things that aren't bad. We don't want mom and dad to see the report card we got from school. We don't want our friends to know we did something wrong and got punished and that's why we can't go somewhere. We don't want our friends to think less of us. We tell a lie and don't want anyone to recognize it as a lie, especially the person we lied to, and we don't see them for awhile, in case they realize it. Why do we do that? Because we all fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 (NKJV): " for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Living the Christian life really isn't hard. We all have a desire to do what is right and good. We all want to be good people, good parents, good students, good ............... fill in the blank. But sometimes the temptation to 'protect' ourselves or to 'get something we want regardless of whatever anyone else thinks' sometimes takes over in our mind and we do it. And God's grace is there for us. Not that we should do things that we WANT to do and shouldn't do, and do it regardless of the consequences and then run to God and ask forgiveness. He is always ready and willing to forgive us - time and again. But we shouldn't look at our sins as it is ok to do because we will receive God's grace when we confess it.
Romans 6:1-2 : "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"
Titus 2:11-12: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age."
John Piper, a pastor and author, said: "Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon."
Sneaking a cookie or a piece of chocolate, or even chex mix covered with sugar isn't BAD. It may be bad FOR us, but it isn't a sin. No, I'm not giving 'permission'! Sometimes we just NEED that bit of salt or sugar to satisfy what our body is craving. Even in all my diets, I give in and eat something I know that I shouldn't have. I may as well eat it, cause if I eat a carrot instead, it isn't going to satisfy that craving for the sugar or salt that I want. (my salt go-to is either potato chips (which I don't dare buy often for I will eat the entire bag in one sitting if I could!), saltine crackers (I love them with everything), or pretzels (just so I can suck the salt off them!) A carrot or a piece of celery or fruit just doesn't do it. I may as well eat what I'm craving and move on.
Living in the Grace of God, there is nothing like it. It isn't permission to sin. But it is knowing that no matter what I do, God's Grace is there for me when I fail to follow His Word. His laws are good and they are for my protection. They are for my good. And God's laws are also for you. His Grace will always abound to you, when you ask for forgiveness. You will want to live in His precious, abiding, Grace.
Blessings!
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