The Band-aid Kid
THE BAND-AID KID
Read Psalm 32:1-5.
Dad sighed as he arrived home and saw Noel sweeping the garage. When Noel did work without being asked, it usually meant he’d done something wrong.
“Travis has chicken pox,” said Mom when Dad came inside. “And Noel shot Mr. White’s dog with Kyle Roe’s BB gun.”
Dad frowned. “I’ve told him never to play with Kyle’s gun! Did he hurt the dog?”
“No—just scared him and made Mr. White angry,” replied Mom.
“Look, Daddy!” said three-year-old Travis. Dad laughed when he saw Travis. “I got the chicken poxes. I put Band-Aids on them.”
“How dumb can you get?” grumbled Noel as he entered the room and saw his brother. “You can’t cure chicken pox by covering up the spots!”
“That’s true,” agreed Dad. “But I’ve noticed that whenever you do something wrong, you try to cover it up by doing something good. When you disobeyed your mother, you washed dishes. Now you’ve disobeyed me, and you’ve been sweeping the garage as if that would make up for what you did this afternoon.”
“Kyle dared me—” Noel stopped.
“When you do something wrong, Noel, don’t blame it on anyone else. The only cure for sin is to be sorry and ask God to forgive you.”
Noel looked sad. “I’m sorry, Dad. Will Mr. White forgive me? Will God forgive me too?”
Dad sighed. “I surely hope Mr. White will forgive you. And as for God, well, you should read what Psalm 32 says.”
Noel went to his room. He knew he had some reading and praying to do.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you a “Band-Aid” kid? Don’t try to cover your sins with good deeds or excuses. You need to repent, and you need to do it now.
TO MEMORIZE:
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Proverbs 28:13
CONFESS AND FORSAKE SIN.
From the book
