“Search me, O God, and know my heart:  try me, and know my thoughts:  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139: 23, 24

     When I was growing up, I couldn’t wait until the day I made it to the seventh grade.  Seventh grade was the year in which football was first offered in my hometown and I longed to play football.

     It wasn’t until about twenty minutes into our first practice that I realized I suffered from “3S” … I was skinny, slow and scared!  For those of you who aren’t familiar with football, this is a combination that does not make for a good player.  More often than not, it makes for someone who spends more time as a tackling dummy than anything else.

     I’ll never forget the day that I finally got to play in a real game as a member of the kickoff team.  Our kicker boomed the ball downfield and we all headed for the guy with the ball.  Somehow, I managed to find my way directly into his path.

     And then it happened.  I remember rushing headlong into the guy, wrapping my arms around him and bringing him down single-handedly. I had made an amazing tackle!  Me, the skinny, slow, scared guy.  I had done this.  I couldn’t wait until Monday to see it on film!

     When Monday arrived, I was shocked to discover that the play hadn’t happened exactly as I experienced it.  The film was clear:  the kick returner for the opposing team had actually ran right over me and tripped on me as I lay on the ground!  My “amazing tackle” had actually been the result of getting steamrolled and then entangled in the guy’s feet.

     It was about that time that I started playing tennis.

     As I look back on that experience, I realize that many things in life are different than the way we see them or experience them.  Oftentimes we have a “me filter” in place that allows us to view things the way we want to view them, even if that means they aren’t quite what the film reflects.

     That’s probably what the Psalmist had in mind when he said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart:  try me, and know my thoughts:  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

     The Psalmist realized that he didn’t always see things the way they really are.  Only God searches the heart with absolute impartiality.  And the Psalmist understood that we can convince ourselves of just about anything through our corrupt hearts that are bent towards self-deception.

     I wonder how many times I’ve looked at my life and thought:  “Wow, what an amazing tackle I just made on that temptation!”  when maybe the film that God sees shows that I got steamrolled and entangled in sin.

     Through the years I’ve learned what the Psalmist learned, that honest self-examination means letting the Lord do the searching.  A life that looks good to you and me may be riddled with unconfessed sin in the heart and mind, some of which may be long forgotten or never realized. 

     Perception is dangerous in that it can always be distorted when mankind is involved, even when we don’t realize it.  The only accurate way to see things is to ask God to show us His film.  Because His film doesn’t mislead.  

     As you pause today before the Lord, ask Him to search you.  Be open and vulnerable before Him as you see things the way they really are.  Don’t be afraid to let Him reveal things that need to be corrected in the sensitive areas of your life.

     The bottom line is this:  When it comes to sin, don’t be a dummy.