"What happens in Vegas...stays in Vegas." What an invitation! If you are of the mind that you want to go do something completely out of your normal routine, be it gambling, taking in a Celine Dion concert or eating dinner at an 'all you can eat' seafood buffet, Vegas appears to have everything you need. If you want to go a step further and get drunker'n'Billy Bob at a pig roast and then have an amorous all nighter with BillyBob later that night, don't worry. Vegas promises to keep your secret. But do any of our secrets ever really stay hidden away forever? Recently, my sons went to the movies with a buddy, for the first time without an adult. Ground rules were made ahead of time, with an emphasis on staying together. The only time one was allowed to be alone was if another had to go to the restroom. At that point, he was to be accompanied by one of the group while the third remained with the seats. Boundaries within the mall were made clear as well, with each boy understanding that they could not leave the Food Court. Under no circumstance was it permissable for any of the three to be alone anywhere, with the exception of the theater seat in the event of a bathroom break. Period. After the movie, the Butter excitedly told me about the ice cream that he and his buddy had purchased while the Big Guy was, "walking around the perimeter of the Food Court looking for girls from school" who were supposed to meet him there. (Yes, the boy used the word perimeter. He's funny that way.) The emphasis of the conversation was about the ice cream, but having learned the importance of hearing the little things that teenagers say, I couldn't help but pick up on the fact that the Big Guy had left the theater altogether to roam around the food court alone. The Big Guy made a couple of mistakes that day. The first one was the act of disobediance he displayed when he blatantly broke the rule that was made extremely clear before he left the house. The second was believing that his secret would be kept from us. How many friendships have been destroyed by a secret that was shared in the wrong ear? How many marriages have fallen apart because one spouse had a closet-full of secrets that they never shared with their husband or wife? How many of us hide from God behind unbelief or disregard for His Word because we have a secret that we think He shouldn't know? NewsFlash: He already knows. Bulletin: He wants you to come clean so you don't have to hide anymore. Many of us came to God because of secret and not-so-secret sins. When I asked God to expose my sins, I was shocked when I recalled things I had done years ago that I thought were forgotten. I might have been able to put them aside by never telling anyone, but they were a stumbling block to a relationship with my Savior. My secrets weren't really secrets at all. At some point or another, our secrets are exposed; either by the gentle illumination by our Heavenly Father when we humbly hit our knees, by a mean-spirited friend, a curious spouse or in front of the world on a newspaper's front page. Dirty little secrets will never be kept forever. There are some secrets that are actually good to keep; giving of time or energy to the poor, the homeless or abandoned. Prayers that are said in private and not boasted about so that others think you are righteous and helping those who are in need. Each of these illustrates the humble heart that God desires of all of His children. These secrets will be exposed one day as well. But the ramifications will be much different than the secrets we keep shamefully. One secret can lead to glory and another to shame. We have to decide which secrets we are willing to face up to when they're exposed one day. As for those who believe that Vegas keeps your secrets, chew on this: What happens in Vegas...will be exposed on Judgment Day. ~credit Way of the Master Radio for this quote "would God not have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? Psalms 44:21 "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving is done in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:3-4

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