The Adam and Eve Syndrome

Today I ate a plum and stapled backlogged pages into my journal.

Why do you need to know this?

I have absolutely no idea.

The plum was delicious. The stapling was victorious.

Do any of you journal? If so, you may understand my pain.

I never, ever, ever want to look in my journal again and see that the last date was more than two weeks ago - after the most eventful two weeks of my life. 

Well, not quite.

You see, I read a book on journaling a few months ago and it turned my style upside-down.

The author's biggest challenge (to me, that is) was being "bare naked honest".

Sounds a little...revealing, don't you think?

I tried it.

Aside from the fact that it now takes me at least twice as long to record everything, every time I want to write anything I also must go into the back yard and remember where I buried it last. And recall the 20 digit passcode on the wrought iron security box once I dig 50 feet down to retrieve it.

  In the words of Shakespeare (loosely located) "you jest".

And I do.

There are too many wee pitchers around my house to fall into 50-foot holes.

But in all seriousness, though it has been difficult and awkward and downright frightening (and I will admit that I have chickened out on a regular basis), it's done me a lot of good and made my journal inestimably more interesting to read.

It's also encouraged me to be more honest with God.

I don't know what it is about the human mind that thinks we can hide things from God by not telling Him directly (perhaps this came from Adam and Eve? Because it worked so well for them...), but I've always shied away from voicing things aloud or even in prayer to Him because they're such deep secrets or such cherished hopes or such awful deeds.

News flash: Psalm 139:2 "You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar."

I can't hide a blessed thing from Him anyway.

In light of this, I've been challenged to be candid with God. He knows it all already, but it's a trust thing. He doesn't want to know my secrets because He's omniscient, He wants to know my secrets because I trust Him enough to voice them to Him. And, since I'm not telling Him anything new, He's not going to be surprised or horrified or shocked by what I say. What matters to Him is that I trust Him enough to entrust whatever it is to Him.

The friend who I don't hesitate to trust - that's what God wants to be.

Until next time!