Wind-lashed rain whipped ten-year-old Ivan's face as he slowly walked home from school that blustery afternoon. Today had been the worst day of his young life.
To begin with, he had forgotten to take his homework to school that morning and the teacher had given him an "F" for the day. Then he had had a knock-down, drag-out fight with his best friend and was called into the principal's office. Now, tucked away in his pocket, was a note from Mr. Jenkins, detailing Ivan's sins and requiring a signature from his parents before he could re-enter to school. The fight had been bad enough, but what had happened afterward was even worse.
Mr. Jenkins tried to call Ivan's parents, but they were out. In one way, that was good. Ivan hated the thought of his mother and father being summoned school. But, on the other hand, he felt that he was really going to "get it" when he got home.
His mother read the note silently, then laid it on the kitchen table. She eyeballed Ivan, her eyebrows wrinkled into a frown. "What was the fight about?" she asked.
Ivan swallowed hard. Sitting at the table, his usual home-from-school snack of a glass of milk and cookies sitting untouched beside him, he groped for the right words. They wouldn't come.
"I'm waiting," his mother said impatiently. "Why were you and Jimmy fighting?"
"Don't know for sure," Ivan murmured, his head hung down so far that his chin was touching his chest. "We were playing football and he pushed me too hard. I just punched him back."
Ivan's mother sat down in the chair opposite her son. She picked up the note from Mr. Jenkins. "It says here that we have to sign this note or you will not be allowed into school tomorrow. The fight must have been pretty serious. I mean, don't they usually give students in-school suspension for something like this?"
"Yes'm."
"Then, what was the difference? Are you telling me everything?"
His mother had figured out that there was more to the incident than just a playground fight. There was nothing to do but to fess up. "No, ma'am."
"Well," his mother said. "Out with it."
Ivan swallowed -- hard. Then he looked up at his mother and answered, "I lied."
His mother's expression hardened. "What about?"
"Jimmy. I told Mr. Jenkins that he threw the first punch. And when he asked me if I was sure of that, I lied again by saying yes. Then Mr. Jenkins told me that he had been looking out the window of his office and had seen the whole thing. He said that he knew that I had thrown the first punch."
"So the reason for this note is not that you were fighting with Jimmy, but that you lied to Mr. Jenkins about it and tried to get Jimmy into trouble to save yourself."
"Yes'm." Then he quickly added, "The principal was being mean."
"Because you got into trouble for lying?" Then her expression softened. "No. He wasn't being mean, Ivan. You got yourself into trouble for that. He was showing you tough love, the same kind of tough love that Jesus showed the rich young man who wanted to know what he should do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 'Sell all you have," Jesus told him, 'and give it to the poor.' But the young man was very rich and could not bear to part with his money, so he refused. Jesus told the young man the whole truth, no matter how much it hurt, because it was important that he knew it."
"What's that got to do with lying about who started a fight?"
"A lot. 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.' Remember that Commandment? If Mr. Jenkins hadn't seen the fight and believed you about Jimmy, then your friend would have gotten into a lot of trouble that he didn't deserve. Could you live with that?"
"No, ma'am."
"No one can trust a liar," she continued, "and if people cannot believe what you say, they cannot trust you. Mr. Jenkins wanted to drive that point home, which he did by sending this note and forcing you to confront us with the truth. It says nothing about the lie in this note." Then she took a deep breath. "Do you want us to believe what you say?"
"Yes'm, and I'm really sorry."
Ivan's mother reached for a pen. "Ivan, even a little lie can grow into a big one. There is no such thing as a 'little white lie.' If people are to trust you, they must believe everything that you say -- just like we believe everything Jesus told us. Do you think Jesus would lie?"
"No, ma'am. Jesus would never lie to us."
"Then," she said as she signed the note, "take His example and always tell the complete truth to everyone. I think you now know what can happen if you don't."
"This is been the worst day of my life," Ivan wailed, tears coursing down his cheeks.
"On the contrary, Ivan," his mother said gently. "Today you have learned one of God's great truths. This has been a very important day in your life."
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Copyright 2001, 2002 by Ed Price