Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. – Daniel 9:7

Today's Scripture Reading (September 22, 2023): Daniel 9

Dolly Parton might have the best response I've heard to a dumb blonde joke. Yes, I have told my share of dumb blond jokes, even though some of the most intelligent people I know happen to be blond. Dolly's response to a dumb blond joke? "I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb - and I'm not blonde either." I like the response.

But Dolly is also speaking a truth that is true for all of us, and that truth is that we are all hiding something. What is that something? Well, that is none of your business. Dolly's response reminded me of a well-meaning lady who brought me a magazine article she wanted me to read to an evening Ash Wednesday Service several years ago. Ash Wednesday is a day that the Christian Church has set aside as a day when we recognize our mortality. On Ash Wednesday, we face death as a universal reality; in light of that mortality, we are encouraged to confess our sins to God. And on this night, I received an article that revealed what this lady believed was my sin. And it was a sin that I share with Dolly. The article was written by a Pastor who had realized that his habit of coloring his hair was a sin, one of which he needed to confess. Yes, there are things that I might try to hide, but coloring my hair is not one of them. In my twenties, I was cured of that sin when I attempted to join the "dumb blond" club with a home coloring kit but turned my hair red instead of the desired blond color. At the time, my contemporaries ruthlessly kidded me, and that was the last time I tried to color my hair.

To be blunt, I think there are many things that, as Christians, we need to confess to whomever it is that we trust and want to be accountable, but I am not sure whether or not we dye our hair really makes the list.

As Daniel continues his prayer, he comes to the place where we all should find ourselves. God, you are holy and righteous; we know we are not. Anything good that we have received we do not deserve. We understand that we have suffered because we have disobeyed you. And for that reason, we are covered with shame.

I am sure that the pastor who had felt convicted over the color of his hair had an important point, but sometimes I think these little things are a smoke screen so that we don't have to confess the sins that we really need to confess. So, my prayer continues to be, "Father, I know I have not loved when I should have loved. I have squandered our time on petty things instead of correcting what is important. Dad, I need your presence wherever we go, yet I leave you behind. In the days of Daniel, we were unfaithful. And we still haven't found our faithfulness. Forgive me, Lord, and help me to be faithful."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 10