21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
Have you ever made a mistake, but fortunately it was something no one saw and could be corrected. Growing up in the small town of Granite Quarry, we used to ride our bikes through the neighborhood, past the local swimming hole, ‘Granite Lake’, to the Pantry convenience store, and then back home. One day on our way back home, I rode past a house that had some freshly poured concrete at the end of their drive. I had seen where people had written their initials in concrete before, so I decided to do the same. Only I wrote my full name as big as I could, Matthew Storie. When finished, I stood back to look at my name in big 3ft. by 7ft. letters and was satisfied with my first concrete name writing.
Later that evening, after our family had finished supper, I was called to the front door by my parents to answer to our neighbor why I had written my name in his concrete. My first thought was “how did he find me,” but we were the only Storie family in that neighborhood. I realized my mistake, was sorry, and I apologized. Thankfully, the neighbor had gotten home in time to smooth out my name before it dried and was permanently inscribed in the concrete.
Sometimes our mistakes go unnoticed by others. Sometimes we don’t even realize we have messed up, but Proverbs tells us that God sees all our ways. This can be a good thing for us to remember, “All our ways are in full view of God”. I don’t see God sitting around watching and waiting for us to mess up, then ready and quick to punish. I see this verse as a reminder that God sees our good times as well as the times we mess up. I am thankful God is loving and quick to forgive me when I make a mistake. It is out of that thankfulness and love, that I want to do better, to make fewer mistakes. By God seeing all my ways, God will help keep me accountable.
Matt