I’m having an audit performed on my department at work this week. Those are never fun. As Department Manager (my official-sounding title) I am responsible for everything we do, and there had better be some form of paperwork as proof of the work we perform! For the most part, we do a great job. Sometimes we spend too much money, or at least the owner thinks as such.
I work at a two-building facility with twenty-two seventy-foot silos in between. We also have four railroad spurs out back and nine truck loading docks. Within the two buildings are eleven production lines and twelve material-handling systems. My department is responsible for the upkeep of everything; from the front gate to the end of the last rail spur, and it involves a lot of things to maintain. It also generates a considerable amount of paperwork.
Thankfully, because we pride ourselves on being modern, we have converted the lion’s share of our documentation onto computers. However, despite this, because of things such as the ISO standard in manufacturing, there still has to be a ‘paper-trail’ and as a result there are four file-cabinets in my office. Those cabinets are the subject of the audit, in a search and find-type procedure. The auditor asks for a record, and I have to go search and find it! He is independent from our company, and he has the power to pass or fail us as far as our certification.
I have learned during previous audits that it is better to come clean if I have something that is not compatible to his standards. If I try to hide something and it becomes known, then the auditor will only delve deeper into my files, revealing even more of my errors in the process. When I come clean, he nods his head, writes a few things down on his notepad, and it all works out. I may get a deduction or two from the tally, but so far that has not been an issue. My problem is that I am a perfectionist. I want to be the best that I can be; therefore I hate it when I miss the mark. My tendency is to try and hide things or move them around, almost to ‘cook the books’ in a manner so that my department will get the highest possible score. Because of that, we usually end up going through ALL of the files before the audit is complete. I always get caught.
Jesus told us in the book of Luke that “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
I may get lucky at times with the auditor. My excuses might work in some situations, or he may just overlook a few files in his relentless, cruel quest for errors. I cannot hide things from God. No matter what my excuse may be for things I have done in my life, they all ring hollow when judged against His Word. There have been times in my life when I thought I had ‘beaten the rap’ and gotten away with wrongdoing, and sometimes I apparently did. But God knew then and He still knows today. I am thankful in my faith that because of my confession and His forgiveness, those sins have all been taken care of. You see, I not only know how to come clean, but I also greatly value in my heart that feeling of being forgiven.
It is pointless to lie to an auditor when it is so much easier to admit that you have a ‘paperwork-challenged’ condition. Usually he will suggest ways that the uncovered problem can be rectified and quite possibly be prevented from ever happening again. But it is even more absurd to lie to God, because He can see right through us and deep into the depths of our hearts.
Take the advice of a man that knows how to be audited – it is always best to come clean and let the chips fall where they may. Confession is the first step toward being forgiven.
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