Two Truths & a Lie

McKenna has always been fun, but lately she has been SUCH a treat!!! I don't know if it's her age or what, but she is putting things together, figuring them out, remembering, repeating, coming up with her own stuff...just hilarious and awesome!

Last week I came across the little activity she made at church the previous Sunday. It was a little "fold on the line" paper bed with a little paper doll boy on a Popsicle stick that you can stick up through the middle of the bed - like he's standing on it. I asked McKenna what it was and she said, "That's Samuel Mom." I said, "Well who is Samuel and what did he do?" She responded with, "God said, Samuel! Samuel! Samuel! and Samuel said, Here I am! Here I am!" My heart was filled to the top once I realized she was telling me about the story in the Bible from 1 Samuel 3. Samuel heard a voice calling his name, thinking it was his teacher Eli he kept going to Eli saying Here I am! Samuel eventually learned that it was God calling to him and his response was, " Speak, for your servant is listening." I prayed right then and there that McKenna would always remember this story and there her response would be the same when she hears the Lord speak to her heart.

We have been reading a story a night from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" By Sally Lloyd-Jones. It is a FAVORITE of mine. We have read it through about twice since McK was just weeks old. Last night we read the story about The Tower of Babel from Genesis 11. This is where the people built a tower up to the Heavens so they could make their name great and be like God. God wasn't so thrilled that they were trying to be happy without Him, so he came down and made them all speak different languages so they could no longer speak and understand one another. McKenna and I talked about how that is why there are so many languages like spanish, english, and french (just to name the ones she knew). So this morning when she was watching Dora the Explorer, she said super excitedly, "Mommy! Dora was at the Tower of Babel! God made her speak Spanish!" :o) I couldn't help but giggle and giggle, but was amazed by her retelling. Again, I stopped and prayed that she would never try to find happiness or make a name for herself without the presence of God in her life, for He is where true happiness lies.

So now for the lie part...

Just as quickly as my heart was filled up this morning by McKenna's sweet memory of last night's bible story, it was broken by a first...McKenna told her first lie...sigh.

I had given her blueberries, bananas, and a nutrigrain bar on her plate for breakfast. I told her she could watch TV (Dora) on the couch as long as she ate her breakfast. While Dora came to an end and she hopped down off the couch and started toward the playroom. I said, "McKenna, did you eat all of your breakfast?" She looked at me and said, "yes." To make myself clear I started again, "Is your plate happy and clean?" Again, she looked into my eyes and said, "yes." One last time, "All of your food is gone and in your belly right?" "Right." So I walked over to grab her plate off the couch to put it in the sink and lo and behold there were still a handful of blueberries and 3 bites of banana still on her plate.

WOW :(

I just had to stand there for a moment and let it sink in that my (almost) 3 year old just sat there and lied to my face not once, but 3 times...sigh...

I called her back to the scene of the crime, and asked, "What is this on your plate?" She just stared up at me with those huge brown eyes and knew she was in deep trouble. She said, "my breakfast." I asked, "did you tell Mommy you at your breakfast all gone?" "Yes." "Did you really eat all your food or is there still some on this plate?" "It's on the plate." "McKenna, you lied to Mommy and did not tell Mommy the truth."

Needless to say she got a spanking and had to sit in time out until her plate was really empty of all breakfast. After the tears were dried, from her eyes and mine, I went back to her to explain that she will always get into trouble when she does not tell the truth. I reminded her of my love for her, but told her how she hurt my heart by lying. She apologized, I forgave her, we moved on.

I know this is only the first of many times we will have to have this conversation. It was a huge reminder of how we must hurt the Lord's heart when we sin. As our Father, He must punish us because He loves us. We say sorry, He forgives us, and we move on. I am so thankful for His grace, love, and forgiveness. I pray that my girls have a heart of honesty and seek to do what is right always. I also pray that I will parent them justly - with honesty, mercy, and most of all love.