He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
-- Proverbs 28:13
Little Johnny was a mischievous kid; he liked to do things his parents forbid him to do. If a glass broke, a marble tile cracked, a toy dismembered, a dog or cat shrieked in pain, Little Johnny’s parents were sure that he was at the heart of it; he was simply full of restless energy.
One sweltering March, Little Johnny’s family decided to spend the summer in Little Johnny’s Lola’s house up in mountains of Baguio to cool down and to bond with the gentle old lady. But for Little Johnny his excitement went beyond that, he couldn’t wait to get his fingers on those locally made sculptured statues, souvenirs, and antique pots and jars that his Lola sold in a little store just beside the family two-story ancestral home. So even before the family settled down after many hours of travel from Manila, Little Johnny dashed downstairs hardly hearing his mother’s stern warning, “Do not play in your Lola’s shop.” But instead of joining his older sister Corrine who was already in the front yard playing, he sneaked into the shop. Soon the little wooden anitos became naked cowboys, the pots transformed into hideouts of Indian bandits, and the jars, put on top of one another, turned into a replica of the leaning Tower of Pisa. Bang! Little Johnny almost jumped out of his skin with surprise when he heard the sound of a broken jar just behind him. To his horror, he must have accidentally backed off to his Lola’s favorite collection, an 18th century Chinese porcelain jar, for the broken pieces were now scattered all over the floor. Aha! Little Johnny’s blood turned cold when he heard the voice of her cunning sister Corrine who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
After a one-sided negotiation, Corrine agreed to keep quiet as long as Little Johnny served her for the whole summer. They shook hands and the pact was sealed. Later when the rest of the family found out what happened to the jar, Little Johnny told his Lola that he saw a boy ran out from the antique shop though he couldn’t remember his face; Corrine supported his claim. Their Lola remained quiet. Relieved of a terrible punishment, Little Johnny sighed with relief but not for long, Corrine immediately made him her errand boy day in and day out; and she even made Little Johnny do her chores while she played with her dolls. Every time he complained, Corrine mocked going to their Lola, and Little Johnny would ran after her, begged her and promised her not to complain again.
Finally, after a month of cruel slavery, Little Johnny had enough. He went straight to his Lola who was inside the shop, and with a quivering voice and tears in his little eyes, he told her Lola everything that had happened in the shop. To his surprise, his Lola just smiled. “I knew Johnny what happened that day. I was by that window.” She pointed to a high window inside the shop, and through that window Little Johnny saw a window in the 2nd floor of his Lola ancestral home. “I saw everything that had happened inside the shop before the jar broke. I was just waiting for you to tell me the truth. I would have forgiven you right away because I love you more than the jar.” Johnny cried even harder.
It’s funny how at times we have to go through deep lengths just to cover a mistake, and multiplying our troubles in the process. When it comes to sin, we either justify it or deny it totally to ourselves, and hide it from others. But the problem is that everything we desire, think and do – good or bad – is not hidden from our God who sees thru the window of our life. We all sinned, aren't we? Instead of hiding, confess your sins to God for He is gentle and merciful...and He will surely heal your brokenness, and prosper you.
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