Honest engine is like the triple dog dare of telling the truth. So when my granddaughter, Olivia, brought me the broken candle and used the term honest engine, she expected me to believe her.

“Honest engine, NeeNee. Fischer and I were jumping on your bed way over there and this just fell and broke.
“Really, Olivia?”
“Yes, NeeNee. It really did. I can’t imagine how it happened.”

I might have believed her if the bed wasn’t a good 15-foot away for the overturned candlestick. But, to Olivia, her made-up story seemed believable. She even convinced her brother, Fischer, to tell the same story. Does any of this remind you of two other people who also conspired to lie about something they did?

“Honest engine, God. Adam and I were just standing next to this tree when an apple fell to the ground.”
“Really, Eve?”
“Yes, God. It really did. I can’t imagine how it happened; but I didn’t want it to be wasted, so Adam and I had a taste.”

When I hear “I can’t imagine how it happened” anywhere in a sentence, I tend to assume that someone is trying to hide the truth.

There is an old English proverb that states, ‘the eyes are the window to the soul.’ This saying stems from a passage in the Bible, Matthew 6:22-23. When I was a kid, my mom told me she knew when I was lying by my eyes. My mom was one smart lady. She saw my face as a picture of my mind and my eyes as its interpreter.

When Adam and Eve conspired to lie to God, they were both exiled from the Garden of Eden. When Olivia and Fischer conspired to lie to NeeNee, they were both exiled from jumping on my bed.

“…be sure your sins will find you out.” Numbers 32:33

It is foolish to play the dog-dare honest engine card with God.

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13