When you think no one is looking.

It's nice to be watched.  NOT!  It would seem most probable that people would like to have their privacy.  I'm not talking about not being disturbed at the library or when you are in a restaurant.  I'm talking about when we think no one is looking.  If you need to pass gas and you are in a store do you look around first?  After the deed is done the chances are huge that someone will turn down your aisle so you race for the cash register.  That is not an out of the questions situation!  When I drive anywhere I observe people in their cars.  One day I saw a man driving along with his window open singing away.  Not out of the ordinary.  However, playing his guitar at 55 MPH was!  Sometimes I see women doing their makeup.  Every now and then there are men and women alike picking their noses.  Don't make that "yuck" statement too quickly.  Boogers don't cause cancer!  In any case, we do things that we don't want others to see.  Whether it be checking out some one's body while we are with our significant other or taking care of that obsessive compulsive thing where we have to check the front door three times before we drive off to work.  One of the areas that would embarrass us is what we are thinking.  What would you do if suddenly all of your thoughts were spoken out loud?  I mean besides panic!  What do we have to fear if our thoughts are pure?  Okay, maybe no one's thoughts are entirely pure.  When we analyze our thoughts we find out where our heart is.  Maybe we can get some guilt relief by acknowledging that we are not the only ones who have those thoughts.  More than anyone else in the world moms know about being walked in on while in the bathroom.  Little kids don't care about what others are doing until they reach a certain age.  You know what I mean!  When all of a sudden their moral clock begins there is awareness of what is being done and whether it's right or wrong in their minds.  Have you ever met someone who was furtive and secretive?  What are they hiding?  If they haven't done anything wrong why are they acting that way?  Let's take this up a notch.  God sees everything, hears everything and records everything.  Quite a jump Steve!  Here's the gem; he still loves us just as we are.  You think that God didn't know you were going to do this or that?  He did.  We sometimes think of the punitive God who lords over us with an iron fist just waiting to smash us because of our sin.  Not all things done in secret are sin.  When God watches us he is hoping that we will always choose Plan A.  He sends angels to help us make Plan A choices.  Yes, they watch us too.  When we choose Plan B God shakes his head and puts another Plan A before us.  All this time God remains loving towards us.  It's not okay to sin.  It is okay to receive grace from God.  For the final thoughts for today I want to suggest that we use our knowledge of what others do or think to control them.  We us that card that says, "You owe me."  It's not what God does.  God says, "I forgive you, let's try this again."  It would be wonderful if mankind did just that.  William James once penned; "We may have a God in heaven that forgives us our sin, but mankind does not."  Do we love people as they are or with hold love as leverage to bring about the behavior we think they should have?  Again, God doesn't do that.  His example is plainly demonstrated on the Cross.  "Today you shall be with me in Paradise."  Forgiveness and forgetfulness are key elements of God.  Let's try to practice that today.