22nd Sunday after Pentecost - How a Little Lie Grew
"Master, we know Thou art a true speaker."
What a wonderful tribute the Pharisees paid to our Lord when they said these words! How nice it would be if the same could be said about us!
So many boys and girls have the habit of lying. It should be overcome because it is a dangerous habit. The most dangerous thing about a lie is that it grows in the telling. Each time it is repeated it becomes worse. Here is an example of how a lie can grow and grow with each person who repeats it.
Some neighbors of a certain Farmer Jones came to tell him that Johnny Williams had taken a whole wagon-load of apples out of his orchard.
"Who told you?" the farmer asked.
They said they heard it from Johnny Flannelmouth. Farmer Jones went around to see Johnny Flannelmouth. He asked, "Did you see Johnny Williams steal a wagon-load of apples out of my orchard?"
"Goodness, no," said Johnny Flannelmouth. What I heard was that he took a wheelbarrowful. Jimmy Gabbygut told me ab out it."
The farmer went to see Jimmy Gabbygut. "All I said was that he took a pocketful of apples. Gertie Garrulous told me."
The farmer went to see Gertie Garrulous. "Did you see Johnny Williams take a pocketful of apples from my orchard?"
"Goodness, no," said Gertie Garrulous. "I said he took one of your apples. Lizzie Longtongue told me about it."
The farmer went to see Lizzie Longtongue. "Did you see Johnny Williams take an apple out of my orchard?"
"Goodness, no," said Lizzie Lontongue. "Johnny was talking to me the other day and said that your apples were ripe and it was about time somebody picked them."
That is the way it is with a lie. We can do great harm without meaning to just because we are careless in what we say. A very simple rule to get and keep in mind early in your life is this: If you cannot say anything good about a person do not say anything at all. Telling lies makes us very unlike our Lord, to Whom even His enemies had to say, "Master, we know Thou art a true speaker."
~ Sunday Morning Storyland, Imprimatur 1945 ~
What a wonderful tribute the Pharisees paid to our Lord when they said these words! How nice it would be if the same could be said about us!
So many boys and girls have the habit of lying. It should be overcome because it is a dangerous habit. The most dangerous thing about a lie is that it grows in the telling. Each time it is repeated it becomes worse. Here is an example of how a lie can grow and grow with each person who repeats it.
Some neighbors of a certain Farmer Jones came to tell him that Johnny Williams had taken a whole wagon-load of apples out of his orchard.
"Who told you?" the farmer asked.
They said they heard it from Johnny Flannelmouth. Farmer Jones went around to see Johnny Flannelmouth. He asked, "Did you see Johnny Williams steal a wagon-load of apples out of my orchard?"
"Goodness, no," said Johnny Flannelmouth. What I heard was that he took a wheelbarrowful. Jimmy Gabbygut told me ab out it."
The farmer went to see Jimmy Gabbygut. "All I said was that he took a pocketful of apples. Gertie Garrulous told me."
The farmer went to see Gertie Garrulous. "Did you see Johnny Williams take a pocketful of apples from my orchard?"
"Goodness, no," said Gertie Garrulous. "I said he took one of your apples. Lizzie Longtongue told me about it."
The farmer went to see Lizzie Longtongue. "Did you see Johnny Williams take an apple out of my orchard?"
"Goodness, no," said Lizzie Lontongue. "Johnny was talking to me the other day and said that your apples were ripe and it was about time somebody picked them."
That is the way it is with a lie. We can do great harm without meaning to just because we are careless in what we say. A very simple rule to get and keep in mind early in your life is this: If you cannot say anything good about a person do not say anything at all. Telling lies makes us very unlike our Lord, to Whom even His enemies had to say, "Master, we know Thou art a true speaker."
~ Sunday Morning Storyland, Imprimatur 1945 ~