Daily Devotional for April 23, 2019
The Unpatched Crack
Carson quietly placed his dad’s smartwatch on his parents’ dresser, hoping no one had noticed it missing. Earlier that day, Carson had borrowed it without permission and had accidentally cracked the screen. He tiptoed out of the room, hoping his dad wouldn’t notice the crack right away. But he couldn’t seem to shake the weight of guilt off his shoulders.
Walking down the hall, he found his older brother Milo painting his room. He watched as Milo painted over a crack that ran from the top of the window to the ceiling. “Hey, Milo, aren’t you going to patch that crack?” he asked.
Milo shook his head. “Nah. The paint fills it up.” He dipped the roller into the tray of blue paint.
“You’d better patch it up, Milo. Dad always patches—”
“Get out of here and leave me alone!” Milo exclaimed. “Can’t I do anything without you bugging me? I’m trying to concentrate.” So Carson turned and went to his own room.
After dinner, Carson followed along when Dad went to inspect Milo’s paint job. “It looks great, Milo, except for that crack over the window,” said Dad. “You didn’t patch it before you painted it, did you?”
Milo frowned. “I thought the paint would cover it up, and at first it did. But now the crack is visible again!”
“You’ll have to patch it and repaint it,” said Dad. “There are some things you just can’t cover up.”
As Carson walked down the hallway to his room, his dad’s words echoed in his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about the watch. Finally, he went to find his dad.
“You were right to tell me,” Dad said after Carson told him what had happened with the watch. “The Bible says sin can’t be hidden forever—sooner or later our hidden deeds will become visible, just like that crack in the wall. That’s why we need Jesus. Only He can cover our sins, and when we confess them to Him, He’ll always forgive us.” Dad smiled at Carson. “And I forgive you too.”
How about you?
Is there a sin you’re trying to cover up? God says it can’t be done—at least not permanently. Perhaps no one will find out about it for a while, but just covering it up won’t make it go away. Instead of trying to keep it hidden, confess it to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you and help you say you’re sorry to anyone else you’ve wronged.
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