In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote:
When I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten the most obvious one is some sin against charity; I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed. And the excuse that immediately springs to my mind is that the provocation was so sudden and unexpected; I was caught off guard, I had no time to collect myself. Now that may be an extenuating circumstance as regards those particular acts: they would obviously be worse if they had been deliberate and premeditated. On the other hand, surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is in the truth. If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way suddenness of provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.
Lewis’s words are a good reminder that we should never excuse away our sins. Rather, we should be quick to recognize them, so that we can confess them to our merciful Savior. We may sometimes be able to fool ourselves and others, but never God. He knows what we’re thinking about and what we’re doing. And it is His appraisal of our life that ultimately matters. He is the Audience of One:
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence. If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." (Psalm 139:7-10)
"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. ”Do not I fill heaven and earth?” (Jeremiah 23:23-24).
"The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).
"My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.” (Jeremiah 16:17)
God not only sees our actions, He also knows our thoughts:
"You perceive my thoughts from afar. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.” (Psalm 139:2, 4)
"[God] knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21)
"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind.” (Jeremiah 17:10)
Incredibly, for those who know Jesus as Savior, we can rest assured that God has seen us at our worst, and He still loves us. Arms wide open, He invites our confession and repentance, which He always meets with His grace and forgiveness!
