"Mom, I Have Something to Tell You"

After saying prayers last night, our son, Luke, stopped me as I was kissing him goodnight.

"Mom, I have something to tell you.  There are two things."  (Moms know this is not usually followed by good news.)

Patiently, I inquired, "What do you need to tell me?"

"Well, first of all......" He went on to tell me something he already had told me earlier.  In retrospect, I am reasoning this was a purposeful and quite ingenious delay.

"Luke, you already told me that.  What else did you need to tell me?"

He gazed downward, his lip began to quiver and his eyes welled up with tears as he began to speak.

Cautiously, through quivering lips he said, "I think you will get mad.  I think I may get in trouble."  

"Luke, just tell me.  It is ok, just tell me."

Tears streaming and lips frowned downward, he confessed......"I lied."

"What did you lie about?", I asked, already filling with compassion for this sweet boy with a heart of repentance.

"Earlier today, when I told you I had read half of my Bible, I lied.  I didn't really read half of my Bible."  (Our kids are signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the library, so this morning they were reading for about an hour.  He was reading his Children's Bible. It isn't as big as a regular Bible, so I thought maybe he had read half of it.)

Looking gently into his eyes, I comforted him, "Luke, I am not mad at you.  You are not in trouble. Thank you for telling me the truth.  God already knew the truth, and it makes Him happy when we confess our sins to Him and we are sorry.  He forgives you and so do I.  Can I have a hug?"

Smiling, with a relieved countenance and clean heart, He gave me a hug. 

It feels good to come clean.  It is freeing to go to the Lord and confess sin.  He already knows it anyway. 

Hiding the truth doesn't change the truth.

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.  Psalms 86:5

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  
1 John 1:9

We are never too young or old to learn and relearn this simple, yet powerful truth.