“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”

Proverbs 15:3

I took this verse literally as a kid. It came up to a point when my fear of the Lord was a literal gut-wrenching fear of an all-seeing God waiting for me to make a mistake. I pictured Him as a harsh policeman holding a paddle and waiting for the first me to give Him a reason to punish me.

I’m very proud to say that my workplace is a very safe place. You can leave your valuables anywhere and expect them to be returned to you. I charge my phone in the pantry with no fear that someone will just grab it (charger and all) and pretend that it’s theirs.

I want to think that that’s because man is innately good, but past experiences tell me otherwise. When asked why people are so nice at the office, my more tenured co-workers would point up. Now, they’re not talking about the all-powerful, ever-seeing God of the Bible that Solomon was talking about in this verse. They’re pointing at the security cameras installed all over the office. Somehow, knowing that your every move is documented makes people think twice about doing something wrong.

That’s also true for psychology. When a person knows that an authority figure is watching over them, they behave in a manner that pleases their audience.

I agree with what Solomon wrote. However, I want to erase the image of the God of my childhood. As the verse states, God is watching over both the wicked and the good. He doesn’t just keep watch over the bad things that we do. He also sees every good deed that we make.

I remember whining about how people see everything that I do wrong while they pay no mind to the things I did right. This verse consoled me. He sees what I do wrong, but He also sees all the right things I do.

This is just another reason not to turn to people for their approval. It doesn’t matter if my name never gets posted as one of the most awesome people in the world. I don’t have to care if nobody ever thanks me for the good that I do. My master sees it. Knowing that He cares enough to watch is reward enough.

There’s no shame in living a life to please somebody else, as long as that somebody is God. You can quote me on that.

Keep doing what’s right.

THE ONE (not just someone) is watching.

And that’s my two cents on that.