The First Lie

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There was so much to do when we first moved into our house in Pennsylvania, 24 years ago! I was a young mother with no family in the area, a husband who worked an hour and a half and a state away, and a 2 and a half year old son (Daniel). You might say I was a little overwhelmed!

On our second day in our new old home I decided to make my first project cleaning up the area right outside the back porch where the previous owners housed their dog. You know… the area where the dog ate, slept, and did all the other things that dogs do…not something that I was looking forward to. The area was muddy and weedy, and to use Daniel’s current favorite word, “YUCKY”! Well, as luck would have it, it began to rain and I was relegated to working indoors (Yes!).

My plan B was to try to unload a few boxes of Daniel’s clothes upstairs in his bedroom. But first, I had to make sure that he was adequately taken care of. So, as any good mom would have done, I sat him down in his cute little chair with his cute little lunch tray (it was a P.B.J., applesauce, cheese, crackers, and a sippy cup of milk that day) in front of the TV to watch his favorite show…The Price Is Right, with Bob Barker. Oh, yes! I thought I’d have at least 15 minutes to get a little unpacking done.

 Well, I barely got the first box opened when I heard the back screen door slam. You know, the one I was sure I had locked! I ran downstairs, looked in the dining room and… no Daniel. I ran to the back door and found him standing on the back porch with what looked like black cookie crumbs all around his mouth (Oh, please let it be cookie crumbs!). I knelt down, trying not to over react, and asked him if a neighbor had given him a cookie. “No Mommy”. “Did you get a cookie from inside?” “No Mommy”. That’s when I looked over and saw his cute little spoon from his applesauce in the mud where the dog ate, slept, and did all the other things that dogs do.

Being a first time mom, I tried not to panic. In the calmest voice I could muster, I asked, “Daniel, did you eat some dirt?” His beautiful green eyes got very big, and he shook his head, “No Mommy! No dirt!” I took him into the kitchen, sat him on the counter, and began to wash his face. As I watched the “cookie crumbs” smear to mud, I asked him, “Did the dirt taste good?” His cute little face scrunched up as he said, “No mommy, it was YUCKY!”

As we look back now, we laugh about the “Yucky” story, but I have to tell you, at the time all I could think was, “This is the first lie that Daniel has ever told me.” Yes, it was comical, but also, a little sad. Have you ever been lied to? Perhaps by your child…”No mom, I’m not using drugs.” Your husband, “I have to work late tonight. I’ll be at the office.” Perhaps you’ve been lied to by a friend, your boss, the media. It seems that lies permeate our society.

Take a second to think about some of the lies that you’ve been told. Do you know that there is one person who has lied to you more than everyone else combined? Do you know who that is? It’s tough to hear and perhaps tough to believe, but, yes, it’s you! You have lied to yourself more than anyone else ever has! I look forward to walking with you… and beginning to explore and discover the areas that our sweet Jesus wants to heal and set us free from…the lies we tell ourselves!

Oh Lord, we come to you thanking you so much for the very privilege of being in your presence… For You are holy and so worthy to be praised. Lord, I would ask you to begin to transform our thinking today and help us to see the lies we tell ourselves. Please help us to learn to walk in Your truth. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Love and blessings,
Mary