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As I pulled the chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, I suddenly had two eager little-boy helpers—just in case I needed someone to sample the final product. 

“I know they smell good, but it’s almost supper time, and I don’t want you ruining your appetite.”

“Awww, Mom.”

“Just one won’t hurt our appetites. You know we can always eat.”

“Scoot, scoot—out of my way, I don’t want to burn you with this hot cookie sheet.”

A few minutes later, the postman rang the doorbell and I had to sign for a package. When I returned to the kitchen to set aside most of the cookies for the bake sale, I noticed some were missing. My husband was not home yet so that narrowed my culprits to the two remaining cookie lovers. I decided it was time for an object lesson.

I called out, “Say guys, remember the crystal paperweight you always want to handle on my desk?”

“Yes.”

“Meet me in my office, and I’ll show you something about it.”

I held the tennis ball-sized crystal in my hand, turning it so the light would reflect off the various facets. I knew if the light was right and I was lucky, we would see little rainbows of color. Then, I took a tiny scrap of white paper and marked a small black dot on it. 

“Why are you doing that, Mom?”

“I’ll show you in a minute.”

They watched as I taped the tiny dot on the back of the crystal with clear tape. Then I explained.

“Sometimes when we do something we’re not supposed to do, like taking something that does not belong to us, or lying, or doing—you know, something you know is wrong. It’s easy to think, well—no one knows about it. So I’ll just be quiet and hide that “one” sin or that one thing I did wrong. The black dot represents that one little thing I’m trying to hide. But let me show you something.” I held the crystal about eye level.

“That's strange, Mom. I don’t see the dot.”

“You’re correct. From a distance, everything looks normal. But, what happens as you get closer to the crystal?”

“Oh my gosh! I see lots of black dots.”

“Let me see, too.” David grabbed the crystal. 

“Mom,” asked Charles, “why do I see so many dots when you only put one on the bottom?”

“Well, Honey, I think it has to do with the way the light refracts within the crystal from all the facets cut on it. Even though it is lovely on the outside, that one black dot is now a distraction and looks like many.”

Taking the paperweight back into my hand, I continued. “Actually, we are each like this crystal. We started out as an uncut jewel in God’s hands. He is shaping us over the years to reflect His glory. However, if I tell myself I can hide some bad deed and no one will know, this crystal shows how I am kidding myself. While it is true that we can hide some things from others, what we are trying to hide is reflected through us in ways we don't even realize. For example, what happened when you got closer to the paperweight?” 

I looked closely at the boys studying the crystal and noticed traces of chocolate chips at the corners of their mouths. 

“It's when you get closer that others begin seeing what you’re trying to hide,” observed Charles, the older son. 

“It’s the same with our lives,” I added. “Those closest to you will see that hidden sin reflecting through your life. So," I added, "how do you think we could get rid of all those ugly dots showing up on our pretty paperweight?”

“Take off the dot,” replied David.

“Right! And how would we apply that to our own life?”

“Don’t hide something you did wrong?” mused Charles.

“What if you’ve already done something and hidden it?” I asked.

“I guess you still need to get rid of that dot, but … ?”

“I know, Mom,” blurted David. “You ask forgiveness if it was against another person, or …

“Uh, Mom, you know those cookies you asked us to wait until after dinner to eat, well … ah ….

“Yeah, we ate some. We didn’t mean to, but they smelled so good.”

“Will you forgive us for disobeying?”

“Of course, but you know decisions and actions have consequences."

“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” moaned Charles.

“Say, Mom, how about we skip dessert tonight since we’ve already had it?”

“Sounds like a fair arrangement to me, David.” We smile and I return the paperweight to its prominent spot on my desk.