There was one kind of cookie that was Wendy’s favorite. They were chocolate sandwich cookies with white icing in the middle. Her mother did not buy them very often, and when she did, Wendy was only allowed to have one at lunchtime.
One day Wendy quietly opened the drawer where the cookies were kept and quickly took the whole package and went outside. The first cookie she ate was delicious. The second one was good too, and she ate it more slowly. The third one wasn’t nearly so good, and she found she couldn’t finish it. With the half-eaten cookie in her hand, she began to wonder what to do with it. If she put it back in the package, her mother would ask her some questions that she didn’t want to answer. She decided she would hide the package of cookies somewhere outside, far away from the house.
The farthest place she could think of was the mailbox out at the street. She stuffed the package of cookies and the half-eaten cookie inside the mailbox and closed the mailbox door without anyone seeing her. She ran off to play and forgot about the cookies.
Now the Bible says, “He that covereth [hides] his sins shall not prosper [do well]: but whoso confesseth [admits] and forsaketh [stops] them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:1313He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)).
The next day Wendy was playing happily when her mother came to her with a very sad face. She had the package of cookies in one hand with the half-eaten cookie in the other, and there were ants all over the cookies. She asked Wendy to tell her what she knew about the cookies.
Wendy sadly told her mother the whole story. Wendy did not think about it at the time, but she had hidden the cookies in the one place her mother was sure to look each day.
There were tears and punishment and forgiveness. But it wasn’t just her mother whom Wendy had sinned against. “Ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:2323But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out. (Numbers 32:23)). Stealing is a sin, and she needed to tell the Lord Jesus what she had done. Because Wendy believed that God gave His Son to die for her sins, she was forgiven and could thank Him for His forgiveness.
This is the Bible verse that Wendy’s mother taught her: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:1414Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)).
ML-03/21/2004