Words to Treasure
Anyone who has been stealing must never steal again. Instead, they must work.
Ephesians 4:28
Allison turned down the car radio. “Dad, did you ever steal anything when you were a kid?”
Her dad drummed his fingers on the steering wheel for awhile. Suddenly he turned the car around, and drove into the parking lot of the corner store near their house. “Come on.”
She followed her dad into the store. He pulled out fifty dollars from his wallet and approached the old store owner. “Mr. Faye, when I was a kid I shoplifted a few things from your store. Mostly candy. This should cover it, with interest. I’m sorry. I was just a dumb kid.”
Mr. Faye’s old face crinkled into a smile, and he slapped Allison’s dad on the shoulder. “You’re a good man. A good man.”
What Allison’s dad remembered was that Mr. Faye was just a hard-working man who needed every penny he could earn from his store. Stealing is always wrong. Allison learned an important lesson. It isn’t just enough to admit you did something wrong. You have to go back and make things right.
Live It!
Have you ever stolen something from a person or a store? Are you feeling a little guilty about it? That guilt is a good thing. Go talk to your parents, and then go make it right with the person you stole from. It takes a big person to face big mistakes. And that rocks!