In his book Less is More, pastor Kai Nilsen writes:

On my way to a Bible study class for teens, two friends and I decided to add a little spice to the gathering. We stopped in a local drug store, picked up a few cap guns, tiny fake-metal bearings to toss like grenades across the table at unsuspecting classmates (probably girls), and other small weaponry of chaos. The problem was we had no money to pay. No problem, we thought. A drug store with all this merchandise won’t miss a few insignificant knick-knacks. The store manager, who met us at the door, had other ideas, including calling the local police who chauffeured us to the police station, filed their report, and called our parents.

I’m not sure what was worse, facing the police or facing my mom. (Actually, I know what was worse!) To each I pleaded my case. “I was just the look-out guy. Yes, I was part of it, but I didn’t take anything!” It was a convincing argument to everyone but myself. The tiny bag of fake metal bearings buried in my pocket screamed a different story. “Liar! Thief!” They knew. I knew.

When I returned home, I snuck off to our garage, tucked many yards behind the house, extracted that tiny bag from my pocket and flung it into the darkest corner hoping, praying that I would never have to confront it again. Yet, I didn’t tell anyone for years about the fact that every time I walked past that part of my garage the tiny voice persisted, “Liar! Thief!”

Is there anything you need to say to God today or to someone else to clear that tiny voice from your head and replace it with God’s voice? Hear the truth from God: “You are forgiven. You are loved. Welcome home, again.”