what happens in Vegas doesn’t……

(Before I get to the main focus of this post, just wanted to give you an update about where we are with this renovation project.  Actually, I probably shouldn’t call it that because we haven’t demolished anything or ripped anything up but carpet and wallpaper which maybe only qualifies for remodeling, not renovation.  Whatever you call it we are now on the fifth upstairs room. It’s my hubby’s office.

We have painted and torn up carpet. I re-painted the ceiling fan rather than buy a new one. (Remember, I’m cheap.)  We picked out new flooring yesterday and as God would have it, we got a great deal.  We had some picked out at one home building store but decided at the last-minute to check out another and they were having a huge sale. Now we wish we had bought more so we could replace the floor in our bedroom as well.

I should add we already have hardwood floors but the upstairs floors have been painted.  Having already gone through one huge project refinishing downstairs floors, I’m not doing that again so we are simply putting new over old.  We decided against hardwood and are using a laminate instead. Hardwood on top of hardwood seem a frivolous luxury. 

Anyway, I’m taking pictures and they will be forthcoming.  I’m editing all remodeling pictures from  earlier projects and hopefully will be posting them next week.)

Now to what I want to talk about today.  It was prompted by reading about Christ’s temptation.

Let me first say that I absolutely HATE  (Does all that formatting make it clear how much?) the phrase, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”  I’ve heard it used for countless other circumstances since then and I acknowledge it’s said somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But the far-reaching implication is anything less than wholesome.

Didn’t Satan try the same approach when tempting Christ? “Just this one time, Jesus.  Who will know?” Or paraphrased, “Jesus, what happens here can stay here.” Isn’t that how we’re tempted as well?  “No one will find out. It will be my secret.” Goodness knows I’ve done it myself with my addiction to sweets.  Who sees that tenth cookie I eat? (Originally, I used “five” but who am I kidding?  I can eat a whole dozen. The reason I can and no one knows is because I don’t put on weight easily. A blessing and a curse.)

But I know.

You know.

We might fool everyone else but we never fool ourselves. We can stuff it down deep somewhere. We can pretend we didn’t do it.  We can try to cover it up but it will eventually ooze into some part of our life affecting our well-being in some way. Sometimes emotional. Sometimes mental.  Sometimes physical. There is no way our lives aren’t affected.  The  more serious the offense, the greater will be that impact.   The accountant who “borrows” from the company for years only to be discovered and sent to jail certianly knows that is true. Every time we do or think anything, it becomes a permanent part of who we are and affects or even limits future choices. Personally, I believe everyone intuitively knows this is true.

The Scriptures are pretty clear that Someone is always watching. That doesn’t mean God is trying to trip us up or He’s got an “evil eye” on us but more that His presence is everywhere. Frankly, I find it comforting to know God is watching. even when I screw up. It makes me feel loved and protected just as a  child feels when they are aware of their parent’s watchful eyes.

Psalms 90:8: “You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of your presence.”(New American Standard translation)  Gandhi said basically the same thing. (https://theworminmyapple.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1986&action=edit)

(I have probably stepped on a few toes today but I promised myself when I started this blog that I would maintain my integrity and not shy away from expressing my religious beliefs.  I also promised myself that while I would not be afraid to express those beliefs, I wanted what I write to apply to those whose beliefs differ. Truth comes to us through many sources.)

What happens in one part of our life isn’t compartmentalized from other parts of our life. We are “synthesized” beings. The more everything is in harmony, the better we function.

Why do you think the phrase was even coined in the first place? It certainly wasn’t to guarantee your privacy or keep your secrets. (If you believe that, I have some swamp land in Florida I can sell you.) It’s to urge you to indulge in activities in Vegas that will bring revenue to the various establishments. It’s about the money. It isn’t about you. Surely you don’t believe that the management in Vegas or the Chamber of Commerce (or whoever coined the phrase) meant it for your best interest. Did Satan have Jesus’ best interest at heart?

I’m not referring to the gambling that is synonymous with Vegas. I’m referring to the concept in general that says we can behave badly in situations where no one knows us nor is anyone likely to find out. Here’s the truth:

• We can fool some of the people some of the time.
• We can fool some of the people all the time.
• We can fool all the people some of the time.
• We can even probably fool all the people all the time.

But we never fool ourselves.