Mother had just baked some chocolate chip cookies, and they were all spread out on the table to cool. Joanne came in from playing outside and saw all the cookies. They smelled so good, and she was really hungry.
Mother had gone upstairs, so Joanne called to her, “Mother, may I have a cookie? I’m hungry.”
“Yes,” answered Mother, “but only one.”
One cookie did not last very long, and it sure tasted good. Joanne called out again, “Mother, may I have just one more, please?”
“Oh, all right,” answered Mother, “but that’s all. I don’t want you to spoil your supper.”
So Joanne took another cookie, and as she started to go outside she thought, “Some of my friends might come along and will want a bite of my cookie. I’ll just take a couple more for them.” So Joanne went back and got three more and then sat down on the front porch. But no one else came along, so Joanne ate all the cookies herself.
Even though she enjoyed eating those three extra cookies, Joanne knew what she had done was wrong. “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Proverbs 9:1717Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. (Proverbs 9:17). Joanne knew that she had disobeyed Mother. She should have gone right in and told Mother what she had done. But she didn’t, so it was an unhappy little girl who played by herself that afternoon.
Then, just before supper, Joanne got the courage to go tell her mother. She said, “Mother, I did something wrong this afternoon. You told me I could have two cookies, but I took three more for my friends, and I ate them instead. I’m very sorry, Mother, and I won’t do it again. Please forgive me!”
Mother was upset that Joanne had disobeyed her, but she was glad Joanne had confessed her wrong. Mother told her that she forgave her, but she also told her that when we sin, we sin against the Lord, so Joanne must go tell the Lord Jesus that she was sorry for what she had done. Disobeying is sin, and the Lord Jesus had to die for that sin.
Joanne went to her room and got down on her knees and told the Lord Jesus what she had done and that she had sinned against Him. After she had confessed it to the Lord, she felt so much better about it. Joanne was a happier and wiser little girl after that.
ML-11/28/1982