Learning the Hard Way 어렵게 배우기

[soso]

Learning the Hard Way

Righteousness guards the man of integrity. Proverbs 13:6

Many kids feel pressure /to earn good grades at school; some resort to dishonest means to get them.

I (JCD) once succumbed /to this temptation. When I was in the eighth grade, I was required [to read a certain number of great books during the first semester]. Unfortunately, I hadn’t even started /as we approached the end of the term—so I selected the thickest, heaviest books in the library and told my teacher () I had read them all. Consequently, she gave me an A on my report card. My mom was impressed, my dad was proud, and I was as guilty as sin.

In a moment of true confession, I admitted /to my mother [that I had cheated]. Instead of getting mad or grounding me for six years,

she simply said with quiet intensity, “Well, you’ll just have to read the books.”

“But, Mom,” I said, “how can I read the collected works of William Shakespeare, Ben Hur, and about ten other huge books?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, “but you’re gonna do it.”

I spent the rest of that school year /poring over the classics /while my friends played football and talked to girls.

No one ever paid more dearly for a little dishonesty.

My wise mother’s response taught me [a priceless lesson]. She understood that God is “pleased with integrity” (1 Chronicles 29:17)…and she made sure [that I never forgot that truth].