When a little boy doesn't have many toys, but he has a red wagon and a best friend, he can stay occupied.
One such little boy was my husband, John. When he was about seven years old, he had a best friend , who was a couple of years older. They were inseparable! What one couldn't think of to do, the other one could.
One day both of them were playing with the little red wagon. They had pulled each other in it; loaded it with limbs and rocks , hauling them to a place where they could build a fort. They had done a lot of other things that day with that little red wagon.
As evening approached, John had a idea.
"Hey, watch what I'm going to do. This will be so much fun." Said John.
"Okay, I'll just set over here and watch." Replied his friend.
Knowing it was about time for the men to get off work, John pulled his little red wagon into the ditchline beside the road; turned it upside down and crawled under it. He lay on his back with only his head and legs sticking out. Shutting his eyes he looked for all the world like he was either unconscious or dead. He lay there for a while waiting for the sound of a vehicle. Suddenly, a car came by , slowed down and stopped.
"OH, dear ! Look, there is a little boy laying under that wagon. He must be hurt !"
Hearing that, John wondered what he would do if they started to get out and found he wasn't hurt at all. What would he tell them? What could he say? Deciding there was only one way out of this situation, he threw the wagon over, jumped up, grabbed the wagon tongue and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him toward home with the little red wagon flying behind him , leaving the people in the car stunned for a moment and then laughing.
John was just a little boy and yet he was deceiving people and he was found out. How many times are we deceitful? Have we cheated on our income tax only to be audited? Have we stolen something and been discovered? Have we slipped around with another person and been discovered by our spouse? How many of us make people think we are perfect yet our hearts are full of deceit? How many politicians are deceitful?
Lying and deceit can destroy people's reputations , not just in families, but also at their job, at school, or even in the church. How do you feel when you find out someone has deceived you , lied to you or about you?
God has warned against deceit.
"There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community" Proverbs 6:16-19
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