Cover-Up

This is never a good way to begin anything...cover-up.  In history, we have lived many allegations of "covering up" in one way or another.  We have had CEO's of large corporations that have allegedly covered up incidents and actions.  We have heard of political cover ups, right up to the Presidents of our country and we have heard of criminal corruption and cover ups.

Today, my cover up is simple.  For over a week I have displayed a black eye from a fall.  I have run from my family, taken detours, missed a family wedding, all in the shame of wearing this black eye.  Well the day came when I had to leave the house.

I had not worn makeup in a week and due to other scrapes to my face wasn't going to start now either.  So...I decided to just go with a concealer over the bruise.  The eye lid looked like a dark eye shadow so no problem there.  It was the area below the eye that was getting all the attention.  I merely took my brush and my concealer and went to work.  I worked that brush around that tender area until the bruise was no longer visible.  I then added a little concealer to the other side for good measure. 

The finished product looked great.  No visible bruise.  I was off to face the world.  The problem came when the cover up began to wear off with time.  Throughout the day it took it's toll.  At one point I went to the ladies room and discovered that the concealer had melted away and the bruise now looked like I had awakened to a eyes smeared with mascara.  The bruising was showing through.  I could tell something was wrong when people began looking at be in a strange manner.  I wondered what they were staring at and that prompted the trip to the ladies room. 

A lesson I already knew was reinforced that day...we can cover-up but we will soon be discovered.  In the beginning, God gave Adam and Eve specific instructions.  Eve failed to adhere to the instructions and was taken in by a crafty serpent.  When their eyes were opened, they discovered what they had done and they tried to cover their sin. I first covered up my bruise; then when the make-up wore off, I walked around trying to hide my face.

With Adam and Eve, God already knew.  He knew then and He knows now...we can not cover up our sin, we can not hide from God.  The good news is that we don't have to.  He died on the cross to cover all our sins...no need to cover up.  

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desireable 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 that 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 Genesis 3:6-8