Truth, Trust and Choosing a Tomorrow

In the midst of our time together I had a middle child make an incredibly ridiculous choice. I'm old ya know. Parenting is not so new. Poor choices are not so surprising. Lying? Hum...STILL, years later, bothers me. I hope it ALWAYS bothers me!! I laughed at the cartoon above. It reminded me of my words yesterday as Scott and I stood in a son's doorway, "I will give you three minutes to hand me anything else that doesn't belong here." Kids sure can make life a whole lot harder than it needs to be!!

Scott and I stood and listened to a child trying to weave a lie and I was once again reminded of one of my favorite phrases, by one of my favorite people....The truth will set you free!

more specifically said ....

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Sometimes my children think they can get by with a half-truth. I'm sorry. The truth isn't like the silly putty Mrs Celina lets my kids play with in church. It can't be twisted, turned, squeezed or patted long enough to be considered anything that is TRUTH. The quote is NOT... "the truth will set you free if no one asks the correct question". A half-truth, an evasion, is not alright. Frankly, my experience shows that evading usually doesn't work out to well either. Maybe even worst than a lie. Half-truths directly affect trust, and the fact that a person is doing it will willful defiance and directed lies? I think make me even more upset. Truth and Trust. Both deal with reality...that which is REAL.

My kids make bad choices...no surprise there! I do too. But, ownership? ... huge, HuGe, HUGE!! The reality of our choices, understanding what is good and right and true....those things will set you free, those things will give you the opportunity to "make it right". A lie is never going to make anything right.

MAKE IT GREAT!! Our lives and the choices are always ours to make!!

Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness, and at the end of the day you don't look at it and wish you had painted something different.
-- Author Unknown