Domino Effect

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:1, 8-11

Dominoes wound their way through a large room in the basement. “Wow!

You have quite a domino network here,” said Amelia’s mother as she came down the stairs. She carefully picked her way to where Amelia was and dropped to the floor beside her. “How did your speech go—the one you did with Ellen in history class?”

“Fine,” said Amelia. “I did really well.”

“And how about math?” Mom asked. “You said you’ve been doing your homework every night. Is that going better now?”

“It’s going great, Mom.” Irritated, Amelia frowned. “Why all the questions?” As she spoke, her cat Fluffy ran down the stairs. Before Amelia could grab her, the cat bumped a domino. One after another, they all fell. Amelia watched as her domino design collapsed all the way through the room, then she glared at Fluffy.

Mom cocked her head thoughtfully. “Interesting how, when one domino is tipped, it bumps the next one, isn’t it, Amelia? They all affect one another, and before you can stop them, they all fall. Lies are like that. Very often, one lie leads to another, and each lie affects not only the liar but often someone else too. That’s why the Bible says lying should not be part of a Christian’s life.”

Amelia sighed as she looked at the dominoes. “I hope it’s easier to fix lies than domino networks.”

“Do you have lies that need fixing?” asked Mom.

“I, um…yeah, I do,” Amelia said. “I didn’t do my math homework, Mom. I’m having trouble with algebra. And speaking in front of people makes my stomach hurt, so I didn’t give my speech. I skipped class, and Ellen is really mad at me. I guess I kind of knocked down some dominoes, huh?”

“Yes, you did,” Mom said. “Your math teacher said she’d help you after school tomorrow, and your history teacher said you and Ellen can give the speech on Friday.”

Amelia’s mouth fell open. “You knew?”

Mom laughed. “I do have a phone! Clean up the mess down here, then come upstairs. You have more work to do, sweetie. You can start by calling Ellen to apologize.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom,” said Amelia. “I’ll be there in a minute.” – Danika Cooley

How About You?

Can you think of a lie you’ve told? There are always consequences for what you do, but when you lie about it, you just create a bigger mess. If you’re a Christian, God says to “take off your old self” so you can live the new life Jesus has given you—and lying is included in the list of things to get rid of. When you make a mistake and do something wrong, be honest and apologize—and ask Jesus to forgive you too.

Today’s Key Verse:
Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another.

Today’s Key Thought:

Tell the truth