“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”

               -Numbers 32:23

There’s no such thing as secret sin. I remember being told many times as a child that no matter how earnestly I might try to keep something hidden from my parents, they would eventually find out and I would be punished for my actions. Perhaps this was said in part just to convince me that my mom had eyes on the back of her head as she often claimed, but, as someone who put this rule to the test enough times to know, I can certainly attest to the truth of this Scripture: sin will always be brought to light, no matter how well you think you’ve hidden it.

According to the Scriptures as recorded in 1 Corinthians 4:5, even if you’re sly enough to successfully deceive your spouse or your parents, the Day is coming when the Lord shall return, “Who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” His eyes “are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3) Try as you might to get away with wrongdoing, your best efforts to conceal it are like that of a little child covering his eyes in the corner: he thinks he’s out of sight and can do what he wants, but in reality he’s the only one being fooled.

“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”

               -Genesis 3:8

Even as members of a fallen race, most humans recognize sin as a shameful thing. The problem isn’t that we don’t see it, but that we often spend our time trying to cover it up rather than obtaining the forgiveness which is freely offered through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24). If the Holy Ghost has used these words to lead you to repentance (Romans 2:4), then don’t hide any longer in the bushes as Adam and Eve did; confess to Him – and to those you’ve misled – your need for forgiveness, cast off the cloak of lies you’ve so long been clinging to, and be washed in His blood and covered with His grace. Only then will you “obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)