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.
*resort; turn to and adopt (a strategy or course of action, especially a
disagreeable or undesirable one) so as to resolve a difficult situation.
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.
*succumb 써쿰; fail to resist (pressure, temptation, or some other negative force).
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.
Before you say good night…
Have your kids ever cheated at home or school? How did you respond?
How can you encourage [godly integrity] /in your family?
Father,
we want to come before You as people of righteousness and integrity.
Help us to avoid sinful shortcuts in our lives, and show us how to
respond with wisdom when our own children fall short of Your perfect
ways. Amen.