It started with school supplies and other small treasures. When my mom saw the new objects in my possession, I would tell her, “I found this fancy pencil on the ground,” or “My friend Karli gave this bracelet to me.” She didn’t know I was lying to her for nearly a year—until I got caught. I made the mistake of taking something from one of the loudest boys in our class—his camouflage-patterned book cover. I tried to hide it, but once he pointed out my newly decorated copy of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, my teacher intervened.
Mom picked me up from school and acted as if nothing was wrong. When we walked in the door to our house, though, she told my little sister to go play, so I knew I was in for it. She asked what had happened at school that day, because my teacher had called. And by then, I couldn’t take the guilt anymore. I fessed up to stealing not only the book cover but also the countless toys and pens I’d squirreled away in my room. My mother looked stunned as I bawled my way through a complete confession. Finally, she looked me in the eyes and told me that she wasn’t mad at me but disappointed. She said I had lost her trust and that it would take time to earn it back. I knew my mother loved me beyond words, but the fact that I had fractured our relationship was unbearable. I blubbered some words of sorrow in response, and she held me as I cried even harder.
I was reminded of this ordeal when I saw these words in Dr. Stanley’s book, Can You Still Trust God?:
For many years I was afraid of disappointing God by not performing up to His high standards (whatever those were), but now I know we cannot disappoint God.
A person can disobey God—either willfully or unknowingly—but he cannot disappoint God. A person can sin or rebel against God, and reap God’s consequences for that sin as a means of chastisement. But a person cannot disappoint God.
“A person can sin or rebel against God, and reap God’s consequences for that sin as a means of chastisement. But a person cannot disappoint God.”
These words were a great comfort to me. I used to believe that when I had sinned, it brought my heavenly “parent” down in disappointment as well. However, Dr. Stanley goes on to explain that if God was able to be disappointed by us, then His love would be conditional, and we are told in the Bible that the exact opposite is true. Though sin makes us feel guilty, God knows all and loves all. This means that if He was brought down by our iniquities, He would not be who He claims to be. God wants us to stay far away from sin, not because He likes having rules but because it separates us from Him. The effect that sin has on us is why He wants us to live as blamelessly as we can, with Jesus as our model (Phil. 1:9-11; 2 Pet. 3:14-15).
Sometimes, if I’m not careful, I still tell “little white lies.” It always makes me feel as if I’ve let God down, but I remind myself that what matters most is to keep sin from coming between Him and me. It’s important to know that when I falter, the Lord forgives me, and He is pleased I am learning and growing in sanctification.
But keep this in mind: The fact that we can’t disappoint God is no excuse to go and sin all we want. Instead, we should see it as great encouragement to try to live for Him without the fear that we will irredeemably fail. In the end, the worst lie of all is one we tell ourselves—that anything we do could ever separate us from the love Christ (Rom. 8:38-39).
