The best advice

My friend Char is having a group writing contest over at Weary Parent about advice we got from our parents. She extended the deadline to this afternoon, which gives me just enough time to get something in! The first thing that came to mind when I thought about this topic was more “warning” than advice, but it stands out as something that had a big impact on my behavior as I was growing up.

“Your sins will always find you out.”

I don’t remember when my mother first said this to me, but I remember doubting whether it was true. How would anyone know what I did if no one saw it? I believed I could cover up the mistake and no one would be the wiser. It never worked! I couldn’t figure out how she always knew when I’d done something wrong! As I got older, I just gave up trying, for the most part. I remember a time (I was maybe 10 years old) when I was horsing around near the piano and broke one of her little wooden angels she had bought in Germany. There was no one around, so I put the angel back up on the piano, towards the back so it would be less noticeable and went on about my business. There was no reason to tell that I had broken something, right? It might be weeks before anyone noticed, and then how could they pin it on me? The rest of the day, the phrase echoed around in my mind: Your SINS will ALWAYS find you out! Your SINS will ALWAYS find you out! Finally, I just had to go tell her, because I knew she would find out anyway.

I appreciate the fact that there was no punishment for wrong-doing as I was growing up without the reminder that it’s always better to just be honest and straightforward when you make mistakes. This advice is as applicable in the playroom as it is in the boardroom.