Norman Vincent Peale Would Tell A Story Of What ...

Norman Vincent Peale would tell a story of what happened to him as a young boy. He found a cigar on the sidewalk, so he picked it up and took it into an alley and lit her up He said it tasted terrible, but as bad as it was, it still made him feel grown up.

Then, he said he saw his dad walking down the alley towards him. Desperate to keep his dad from knowing what he was doing, he quickly hid the cigar behind his back and pointed to a billboard across the street advertising a circus that was coming to town. He said he repeatedly asked his dad to take him to that circus, all the while, holding that cigar behind his back.

After a few minutes of this, his father told him something so profound that it affected his prayer life forever. His father said, "Son, never make an impassioned plea for something honorable while you are hiding sin behind your back."