Walmart Security A row of blinking LED lights caught my eye while shopping in Wal-Mart the other day, as it was intended too, drawing my eye up to the security cameras dangling from the ceiling and the monitor which displayed everything I was doing in the store. Understandably, Wal-Mart is attempting to deter some of the thousands of dollars of merchandise from getting shop lifted every day. A horrifying thought burst into my head however when I realized that virtually everything I have ever done in Wal-Mart has been recorded. Any quirky antic, any compromising moment was on file somewhere. If I were running for public office, what if my competition rifled through all the Wal-Mart security tapes until he found something he could use against me?
Isn't this what the final day of judgment will be like? All of our lives we work tirelessly to present an image of ourselves to the world. We try to project confidence, importance, morality, power, etc. but regardless of what we project, there is a real us somewhere and every act has been recorded. Every time we have rifled through the magezines in search of lewd pictures, it has been recorded. Every time we have searched the Internet, Every time we have spoken in ugly tones to our children or spouses in private, every time we have been selfish, has been recorded. God already knows it. But one day we will know it too. The security cameras will play back for us to watch the time we took advantage of that girl, cheated our customer, devastated someone with a crushing word, etc. Our images of ourselves will be shattered and the real one will be displayed. Are we ready to look at that gargoyle? The Psalmist says in Psalm 130:
"If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared."
Imagine someone threatening to release the security tapes of your life to the press. What would you do? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to watch those videos myself, much less let the world be exposed to it! But here is something else to consider, there are people in our lives that already have seen those videos. In fact, they lived them and lived with the consequences of them. We may have conveniently forgotten certain episodes in life but others may have watched them regularly, struggling with the anger and hurt it caused. What can we do about this? This is not a hypothetical situation. We all have lived real lives and they are remembered even if we forget. How can we escape the guilt and shame? The Psalmist said that there is forgiveness with the Lord and for that reason He is to be feared. If the person who was threatening to release your tapes could also destroy them instead of release them and was willing to make arrangements, wouldn't you take the time to talk to him? That is something like what it means to "fear" the Lord in this case. He has what we need, so approach Him with reverence and humility, because there IS forgiveness with Him. He does not deal with us according to what our sins deserve but according to His great mercy. But still, He has those tapes, so don't approach Him flippantly, but seeking mercy and finding help in time of need.
"For with the Lord is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities." Psalm 130:7-8