The Scratched-up Skateboard

Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1-3; Isaiah 41:10

"I didn’t mean to hurt your oh-so-special skateboard, Grady!” Jared told his brother. “You don’t have to get so mad!”

“I told you to leave it alone!” shouted Grady.

“Well, a skateboard is meant to jump and ride rails and stuff,” said Jared. “All you do is coast down the street on it. Why don’t you try out this ramp I built?”

Just then Dad came out to the garage. “Dad!” said Grady. “Jared scratched up my new skateboard. I told him not to take it on that ramp, but he did anyway, and now it’s a mess!”

“I couldn’t help it, Grady—I didn’t fall on purpose.” Jared pointed to his chest. “Besides, look what happened to my shirt when I fell off the board. There are grass stains all over it!”

Dad examined the skateboard. “Grady, why don’t you get some of those decals you’ve been collecting and stick them on your skateboard? They should cover most of these scratches, and then the board will look great! I’ll help you with it, okay?” Grady nodded, looking relieved. Then Dad turned to Jared. “Do you want some white paint to put over those stains on your shirt?”

“Paint?” Jared shook his head. “Of course not! These stains will have to be washed out—not covered up.”

“I agree,” said Dad. “Do you know that the wrong things you do shouldn’t be covered up either? You shouldn’t have used your brother’s skateboard when he told you not to, but instead of accepting responsibility and apologizing for scratching it up, you made excuses. You even complained about what your stunt had done to your shirt. You were trying to cover up the wrong thing you did, weren’t you?”

Jared was quiet a moment. “I guess so,” he finally admitted. “I’m sorry, Grady.”

“When we do wrong, we need to confess our sin to Jesus,” said Dad. “And if our wrong has hurt someone else, we need to tell that person we’re sorry and ask for forgiveness.” Dad patted Jared’s shoulder. “We’ll do our best with that shirt, but it might never be quite the same again. But when we confess our sin, Jesus is ready and willing to forgive and completely wash it away.”

–Lyndel F. Walker