Caught Red-handed

This was Season's explanation to coloring her entire hand with a red marker: "It was an accident," which was then followed by a mound of supposedly repentful tears. But since she is five and we were in a good mood, her dad and I just laughed. In fact, Graham told her to color the other hand green so could play "Stop and Go" on the playground with the kids at school.
But how many times do we use the same silly excuse with God when our sins finally find us out. Except our excuses sound more like this: "Well, I only did it one time." or "I didn't think it would happen to me." or "That's not what I intended to happen," and so on and so on. We have a plethora of sorry explanations, but all we are saying is that our sins are somehow an accident and not our fault.
But just like Season who has always been tempted where markers are concerned--she loves to color outside the lines, far outside the lines--we too know where we are tempted and so does the devil. Satan wants to devour us(1 Peter 5:8) and we choose to give him a foothold(Eph. 4:27) And I'm not just talking about the obvious public sins. If I am tempted to sleep late and then forego devotion, rushing through my day trying to get everything done, yelling and getting mad at my kids because they are getting in my way. This is a sin just as is murder (obviously the consequences are different)and neither are an accident. God sees my choice to sleep rather than set Him as a priority. You might as well paint my hand red. Anytime He is not our focus and our own fleshly needs take precedence, it is sin and for the most part, I believe it is deliberate.
Don't put yourself in the way of temptation, whatever that looks like for you. Don't make excuses when you get caught. Instead fall at His feet, admit your sin with a truly repentful heart and turn from your wicked ways. Don't sit by yourself in a room full of markers with no lids. God will never laugh when we fail, when we knowingly choose to sin. No, because we have the Holy Spirit to lead us moment by moment and He knows the pain it took to wipe out our sin. He was beaten and bruised for our iniquity. I often wonder if He feels that pain still. I am always reminded of a saying I learned when I was in junior high: Sin, it takes you further than you ever intended to go, keeps you longer than you ever intended to stay, and costs you more than you ever intended to pay.

Jesus said "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."