Last Saturday I came home to find an old favorite all ready in progress. My wife and children were dying Easter eggs. My children love holidays and love preparing for them just as much. Getting out decorations, baking cookies, dying eggs – they yearn for these activities . . . so they were delighted.
It didn’t take long to see their joy. Half a second later they were telling me about an egg they had made especially for me. They promptly showed me, then asked if I wanted to eat it. Now I found this a bit odd, since they had just decorated it. They went on, both of them, asking if I was hungry, if I would like an egg. I passed, promising I’d eat it soon.
Later, I was able to ask my wife, “what’s with the egg? it’s not hard-boiled is it?”
She smiled. No. It’s not. I told them to not make such a big deal about it . . . can you play along?
Monday morning came. The kids and I were getting ready for school, eating breakfast. I say, I think I’ll have an egg this morning . . .
Both kids volunteer to get me one. They race over. Emma has completely forgotten about the prank they were pulling (for the moment anyway) and selects one of the ones she dyed and offers it to me, then insists I eat that one first. Noah picks “the” egg. I slowly enjoy the egg Emma gave me. Then move to “the” egg. I crack it on the plate . . . and slowly realize it is hard boiled. Not “the” egg after all.
I am simultaneously amused and mortified.
Noah casually asked, “how does an egg get to be hard-boiled anyway? Is it from cooking, or if it gets frozen?”
I answer that it is by cooking and he offers a small “hmm” – “why” I ask . . . “just curious”
Then he asks, “could you eat 3 eggs?”
I consider it for a moment and tell him I’ll have eggs again tomorrow.
The same scene unfolds all over again, Emma forgetting the prank and picking an egg by other standards and, believe it or not, Noah picking the wrong egg.
On the 3RD day it happens AGAIN (my cholesterol is now sky-high), the egg carton is nearly empty and I ask “are you sure this is the egg?” - – “Oh yea . . . well pretty sure”
I crack another hard boiled egg, Noah says – “nope”
I ask, “how can you tell?”
As far they know I’m still not on to them. So, if you talk to them please don’t mention it yet – maybe tell them when they’re teenagers and still think they’re being sneaky?
The whole week it’s left me thinking – isn’t it a little obvious? I suspect we think we’re fooling our spouses, our friends and families – that we’re fooling God – and sometimes we’re only fooling ourselves. We may think the difference in our behavior is as subtle as the difference of a raw or hard-boiled egg – and yet it’s entirely obvious to others.
Isn’t it obvious? Our intentions, true intentions, our hearts and minds are known to God. Even when we fool ourselves God knows. It’s certainly a motivation to strive to be brutally honest with ourselves, brutally honest with God.
