Darkness and Light

IF YOU WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO HIDE.

Bible Reading of the Day: Read John 3:16-21.

Verse of the Day: “Those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants” (John 3:21).

“Hey,” Larry said. “Close the door!”

Stan stepped into the bedroom he shared with his brother Larry and quickly shut the door behind him.

“What are you doing?” he asked Larry.

“Nothin’,” Larry answered.

Stan walked slowly to the bed, where Larry was counting a stack of baseball cards. “Where’d you get all those?” Stan asked. Larry shrugged. “I found ’em.”

“Where did you find them?” Stan’s tone indicated that he didn’t believe his brother.

“I just did, OK?” Larry glared at his brother. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I just found a bunch of baseball cards, and I’m gonna sell some of them to Joey Whitacre, OK?”

“If you didn’t do anything wrong, then you wouldn’t mind me leaving the door open while I hang out, would you?” Stan stepped to the door and grabbed the doorknob.

“No!” Larry shouted. He leaned over the cards as if to hide them with his body. “No, I want the door closed.”

Stan let go of the doorknob and faced his brother. “If you weren’t doing anything wrong, you wouldn’t care if the door were closed. If you were doing the right thing, you wouldn’t have to hide.”

Larry stared at Stan for a few moments. Finally he rolled his head slightly and sighed. “All right,” he said. “I found them in Dad’s trunk down in the basement.”

“And you were just gonna sell them to Joey Whitacre without telling Dad?”

“Just the ones that are worth money,” Larry said.

“Oh well,” Stan said sarcastically. “That’s not so bad.”

The two brothers stared at each other for a long moment before Larry started laughing. “I see what you mean,” he said. Stan laughed too. “OK,” Larry said finally. “I’ll put them back where I found them.”

TO DISCUSS: What was wrong with what Larry was planning to do? What should have helped him realize that what he was doing was wrong? Do you ever do things you don’t want people to see or know about? If you’re doing what God wants, would you probably try to hide it or not try to hide it? What can you learn from Larry’s example?

TO PRAY: “Lord, make our actions good and right so we will not try to hide in shame.”