“Two guys were taking Chemistry at the University of Mississippi. They did pretty well on all of the quizzes and the midterms and labs, such that going into the final they had a solid “A”. These two friends were so confident going into the final that the weekend before finals week (even though the Chemistry final was on Monday), they decided to go up to the University of Tennessee and party with some friends.
“… They overslept all day Sunday and didn’t make it back to Mississippi until early Monday morning. Rather than taking the final then, they found their professor after the final to explain to him why they missed the final.
“They told him that they went up to the University of Tennessee for the weekend, and had planned to come back in time to study, but that they had a flat tire on the way back, and … so they were late in getting back to campus.
“The professor thought this over and told them they could make up the final on the following day. The two guys were elated and relieved. They studied that night and went in the next day for the final.
“The professor placed them in separate rooms, and handed each of them a test booklet and told them to begin. They looked at the first problem, which was worth 5 points. It was something simple about Molarity & Solutions.
“‘Cool ,’ they thought. ‘This is going to be easy.’ They did that problem and then turned the page.
“They were not prepared, however, for what they saw on this page. It said:
(95 Points). WHICH TIRE?” *
Is the scripture verse, “Be sure your sins will find you out?” ringing in your ears right now? (Numbers 32:23. See also Cain’s secret sin, that was exposed ~ Genesis 4:8-10.)
I (Dawn) laughed as I read Bill and Pam’s account of their son’s stubborn lie in their book, The 10 Best Decisions Every Parent Can Make. On pages 36-38, they tell the story of little Zach, age four, who grabbed some goodies out of an ice chest before dinner ~ though he had been instructed not to eat any more before dinner.
Pam caught him with stuffed cheeks, and said, “Zach, tell me the truth. Did you eat more chocolate after I told you not to?”
With a chocolate ring around his mouth, he shook his head no. The next two pages detail Pam and Bill’s efforts to get stubborn Zach to admit his act of disobedience and his continuing lie.
They tried repeatedly, pleading with him to tell the truth and praying that God’s Spirit would help by working on “his stony little heart.” Finally, after being put into a time out alone ~ a strategy that worked better than a spanking on this people-loving little guy ~ after an hour, Zach confessed. Pam thanked him, told him that she forgave him, and took him to Bill to make the same confession. Then they loved on their little boy.
Bob and I had a similar situation with our son Michael when he was almost four. I remember sitting on the end of the bed, Continue reading
