Private Eyes

Private eyes, they're watching you. They see your every move. -- Hall & Oates

You younger folks should check out some Hall & Oates...you don't know what you're missing!

What are your thoughts on privacy? It seems like I see news articles or stories on TV a lot where someone is upset that their privacy could be threatened. When did we become so privately minded? I remember when I was a kid sitting out on my grandparent's front lawn on most spring and summer evenings watching the sunset and then the lightning bugs. People would be out walking and talking. They knew all of their neighbors fairly well.

Now we put up really tall fences around our yards. We spend a lot of time protecting ourselves from the world and we worry a LOT about our government spying on us. I just don't see where we really want to be involved with each other as God's children much anymore. For me it begs the question, what the heck are we so concerned about hiding? In my experience, people want to keep things a secret when they are either ashamed or selfish. I either don't want you to know what is going on with me because I'm embarrassed about it...maybe I think I just don't measure up...or I'm really possessive about what I have and I don't want you to come and try to take it away from me.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve started out free to roam and do as they pleased. They had absolutely nothing to hide and enjoyed a close relationship with God, each other, and the world He created for them. But then something happened:

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." -- Genesis 3:6-10

They did something they were embarrassed about, so they hid. Foolishly, they thought they were going to hide from God...but I would argue that we do the same thing and I would suggest that most often we do it because deep down we're ashamed of something. We have secrets so we have to be protective of them. We have to hide them so nobody knows how inadequate we really are.

Giving our lives to God through Jesus means we don't have to live in the shadows any longer. We don't have to be ashamed. Not only is there no longer a reason to hide, but we can proudly walk out into the light and share our journey with others. The most powerful story comes from the one who's been at the bottom and stands changed. So come out of hiding and live forgiven!