3 Truths For Moms From an Old Mafia Story

Recently I was reading a book about local history in my small, southwest Michigan town. I stumbled across a really intriguing story about a mafia lieutenant from the 1920s.

His real name was Fred "Killer" Burke, but everyone in this small town knew him as Fred Dane. Locals considered him to be a nice guy. A group of men went hunting with him once. Fred is said to have purchased a shot gun for the event, and then asked the other men how to use it, and how to load the gun. While hunting, he saw a rabbit and attempted to shoot it, forgetting to take the safety off.

Little did they know that Fred was part of Al Capone's gang, and was actually a cut-throat assassin. Whenever he went to Chicago, he left a radio on in his home so that people would assume he was inside. Eventually, he blew his cover when he killed a local policeman who asked for his drivers license after a hit and run. Fred escaped by holding a man at gunpoint, forcing him to drive him out of town.

Four years later Fred was arrested in St Louis. His new wife, who knew him as "Richard White" could not believe her husband was indeed a killer. She told the police there, "My husband never swore or drank. He is a wonderful man."

He was wanted for crimes of forgery, robbery and murder in Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.

Pretty crazy, huh?

While this story was still fresh on my mind, I was reading through the second chapter of Romans. Verse 16 caught my attention:

"The day is coming, when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone's secret life."

Even though Fred could fool his neighbors and his wife, God saw his double life. The hidden and unknown things were as obvious as the light of day in God's eyes... and that was the life that he was held accountable for... not the fake one that everyone else saw.

"Wow, I am so glad I don't have a secret life like Fred," I thought at first.

But then it hit me... I might not be a secret mobster (as far as you know), but there is still an inner part of me that most might not see.

At first, that can be a sobering thought: God sees the truth about me. He sees all the times I mess up, even if no one else knows. He sees my thoughts, my envy, my greed, my anger... even if I keep them to myself.

But as I pondered my "secret life" I realized that this verse is also incredibly encouraging because the flip side is also true: he also sees all the right choices I make even if no one else does.

1. God sees all of the "unnoticed" good you do

For moms specifically, there are a lot of moments that we give and sacrifice "in secret." The baby won't remember us waking up with them four times in the night to feed them or rock them while the rest of the world sleeps.

The kids might not recognize all the times that a mother piles steaming food on their plates before she does so for herself. A husband might not know about the five times she swept the floor that day, or the graceful way she handled her child's tantrum.

Friends and family and kids and spouses don't always hear the prayers that moms pray behind closed doors.

There are so many opportunities for moms to love, serve, give and work in secret for the good of our families. And all along, there is a faithful witness, applauding and waiting to let you know He is proud of every single one of those choices.

2. We can be glad, because we know that even when we mess up and our secret life is not worthy of praise, we are still loved by God.

He loves us even when we say that swear word in the heat of anger.

He loves us even when we yell at our kids in the car.

He loves us even when we think that bad thought.

He loves us when we are lazy and don't do a great job at our tasks.

Yes, he judges our sin. He can't ignore it (otherwise he wouldn't be just). But even in that, he loves us.

He doesn't want us to be stuck in the judgement our sin deserves, but instead offers to give us the chance to switch places: Jesus takes our punishment and we get to be seen under the covering of his righteousness, all we have to do is say, "heck yes!" and commit to living His way instead of our way.

John says it this way, "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his son into the world, not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. There is no judgement against anyone who believes in Him... the judgement is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so that others can see they are doing what God wants." (Vs. 16-21 NLT)

You may have heard this truth so many times before. But let it soak in fresh right now. God sees the real you. You can't fool him. He sees the good, the bad and the ugly. He will judge the choices we make, and the real life we live (even if it's totally different than what everyone else sees). And he LOVES you. He wants to offer you forgiveness, and righteousness both for your secret and obvious life.

3. Even the things you don't choose, will be brought to justice.

Lastly, as I read the verse in Romans again, I noticed that it didn't say "God will judge all your secret choices." It say, "God will judge your secret life." which makes me think that God will also bring justice to the things that happen to you in secret... the things that are part of your life that may even be outside your control, and may not even be known by others.

Have you ever been abused? Neglected? Mistreated? Does your spouse cheat on you? Were you taken advantage of at work? God sees the secret things that happen and it will not escape his just hand.

In Genesis 16, a slave named Hagar flees her abusive mistress by running away to the desert. Hagar's pregnant, by the way, a product of rape from her mistresses husband Abraham. Alone and distressed in the wilderness, Hagar expects to die. But an angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her "The Lord has heard your cry of distress. You will bear a son and be the mother of a great nation." Hagar then used a new name to refer to the Lord, "El Roi," which means "You are the God who sees me."

And He sees you too. The day is coming when all of the things in your secret life will be made right.

(Photo credit for main photo from Nicko Prints)