SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE THINGS WORSE BY TURNING A SIMPLE MISTAKE INTO A WRONG CHOICE.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read Proverbs 19:2-3.
Verse of the Day: “Do not let your mouth lead you into sin” (Ecclesiastes 5:6, NIV).
Eddie dropped back to throw a pass. Tad stood five or six feet away, counting to five, while Eddie’s teammate, Greg, raced toward the goal line-the line between Eddie’s front yard and the neighbor’s property. Suddenly, Tad shouted, “Five-Mississippi!” and lunged toward Eddie.
Eddie saw Greg’s pursuer, Tad’s teammate, slip on the grass and fall to the ground. Greg was wide open. Eddie dodged Tad’s grasp, planted his feet, and hurled the miniature football toward Greg with all his might.
Eddie watched the ball sail through the air toward Greg, who sped to meet it. The two teammates realized at the same time, however, that the ball would sail beyond the end zone. Greg’s legs pumped in a burst of speed as he raced to catch up with the ball, but Eddie could see that the pass would never be caught. He watched it sail past Greg and smash through the corner window of the neighbors’ house.
Eddie’s three friends dashed in different directions, leaving Eddie standing alone.
A moment or two later, Eddie’s neighbor appeared and walked toward Eddie with the little football in his hands.
“Your football?” the neighbor asked.
“No,” Eddie answered without thinking. “1 saw the guys that did it, though,” he added. “I’ve seen them around, but I don’t know their names.”
“I see,” the neighbor answered. “Well, then …” He hesitated. “If you, uh, find out who did it, let me know.”
“Sure,” Eddie said.
The neighbor started to walk back to his house, then turned around to face Eddie again. He turned the football around in his hands. “You know,” he said, “sometimes people make things worse by turning a simple mistake into a lie. Throwing this football through my window was just a mistake.” He shrugged. “But running away-or lying about it—that’s not just a mistake. That’s wrong.” He headed back toward his house.
“Wait,” Eddie called.
The man stopped and turned around.
Eddie sighed. “I broke your window,” he said. “I’ll pay for it.” The neighbor tossed Eddie the football. “Good call,” the man said. “Maybe you can get those three other guys to pitch in. “If you can find out where they live!”
TO DISCUSS: Was the broken window a simple mistake or a wrong choice? Have you ever made things worse by turning a simple mistake into a wrong choice? Describe what happened.
TO PRAY: “Lord, help us to live according to your Word. When we make mistakes, help us correct our errors, if we can. When we sin, help us to confess what we’ve done wrong and turn from that sin in the future.”
